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I 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 





fflacmtllan’s Pocket American anti lEnglfej) Classics, 

A Series of English Texts, edited for use in Elementary and 
Secondary Schools, with Critical Introductions, Notes, etc. 

!6mo. Cloth. 25c. each. 


Addison’s Sir Roger de Coverley. 
Browning’s Shorter Poems. 

Browning, Mrs., Poems (Selected), 
Burke’s Speech on Conciliation, 
Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. 
Byron’s Shorter Poems. 

Carlyle’s Essay on Burns. 

Chaucer’s Prologue and Knight’s Tale. 
Coleridge’s The Ancient Mariner. 
Cooper’s The Deerslayer. 

Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans. 
De Quincey’s Confessions of an 
English Opium-Eater. 

Dryden’s Palamon and Arcite. 

Early American Orations, 1760-1824. 
Edwards’ (Jonathan) Sermons. 

Eliot’s Silas Marner. 

Epoch-making Papers in U. S. History. 
Franklin's Autobiography. 

Goldsmith’s The Vicar of Wakefield. 
Hawthorne’s Twice-told Tales (Selec- 
tions from). 

Irving’s Life of Goldsmith. 

Irving’s The Alhambra. 

Irving’s Sketch Book. 

Longfellow’s Evangeline. 

Lowell’s The Vision of Sir Launfal. 
Macaulay’s Essay on Addison. 
Macaulay’s Essay on Hastings. 
Macaulay’s Essay on Lord Clive. 
Macaulay’s Essay on Milton. 


Macaulay’s Lays of Ancient Rome. 
Macaulay’s Life of Samuel Johnson. 
Milton’s Comus and Other Poems. 
Milton’s Paradise Lost, Bks. I and II. 
Old English Ballads. 

Palgrave’s Golden Treasury. 
Plutarch’s Lives (Caesar, Brutus, and 
Mark Antony). 

Poe’s Poems. 

Poe’s Prose Tales (Selections from). 
Pope’s Homer’s Iliad. 

Ruskin’s Sesame and Lilies. 

Scott’s Ivanhoe. 

Scott’s Lady of the Lake. 

Scott’s Lay of the Last Minstrel. 
Scott’s Marmion. 

Shakespeare’s As You Like It. 
Shakespeare’s Hamlet. 
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. 
Shakespeare’s Macbeth. 
Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. 
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. 
Shelley and Keats: Poems. 

Southern Poets: Selections. 

Spenser’s Faerie Queene, Book I. 
Stevenson’s Treasure Island. 
Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. 
Tennyson’s The Princess. 
Tennyson’s Shorter Poems. 
Woolman’s Journal. 

Wordsworth’s Shorter Poems. 


OTHERS TO FOLLOW. 


/ 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


SELECTED AND EDITED FOR 

CHILDREN IN THEIR THIRD SCHOOL YEAR 



t ^ > 


JAMES H. FASSETT 

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE 




THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 

1904 


All rights reserved 


04 - 



LI»S*»*?V of CONGRESS 
T m Joules Rectrfvwt 


OCT 10 1901 




'Copyright, 1904, 

c c 

By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. 


Set up and electrotyped. Published October, 1904. 


Narinootf -press 

J. S. Cushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. 
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 


PREFACE 


Children love fairy stories above all other 
stories. If any teacher or father or mother 
doubts this, let him test the matter for himself. 
If he will take any of the good old fairy stories 
and tell it to the child, and then take any other 
story, it matters not what it is, and tell this also 
to the child, all doubt will instantly vanish. 

The normal child is interested in all stories 
worthy the name, but he loves fairy stories. 

Why is it ? What is it that creates this fasci- 
nation ? There are many theories ; but it matters 
little which one is chosen. The essential point is 
the acknowledgment of the fact, and when that 
is admitted, let it be carefully considered whether 
there does not lie in this truth the germ of a 
powerful educational force, and whether the 
teacher or the parent Can afford to ignore it. 


VI 


PREFACE 


Is it not perfectly apparent that the primary 
object of the first three years of a child’s school 
life is to master a set of arbitrary symbols, so 
that the habit of instantly recognizing those 
symbols may be formed? 

Will not the candid educator admit that the 
greatest stumbling-block toward the solution of 
problems, the accurate work in geography, in 
language, and in history is the lack of facility 
and skill in recognizing these arbitrary symbols, 
or, in other words, in reading ? 

If skill in reading, then, is of such profound 
importance to the child’s educational life, is it 
right or reasonable to ignore the power which 
the fairy story undoubtedly possesses to attract 
and hold the eye of the child, as the loadstone 
does the needle, and just as naturally? 

There is absolutely no need of pushing or en- 
couraging the child where the fairy story is con- 
cerned. Furnish the two essentials, the child 
and the book, and the amalgamation is at once 
accomplished; and does any one doubt that a 
child, after he has devoured again and again the 


PREFACE 


vii 

stories which he loves, will have gained a much 
greater power of reading than he could have ac- 
quired from being driven through the pages of 
the average school reader? 

In the following stories it has been the object 
of the editor to follow as closely as possible the 
old and idiomatic rendering of William Grimm, 
which has proved so satisfying to the myth-loving 
children of former times. There has been no 
hesitancy, however, in changing the German 
thought where it has seemed necessary, either 
for clearness or simplicity. 

It is believed that the diction is so simple that 
it may be read with ease by the average child in 
his third year of school life ; and while the book 
may be used in the schoolroom orally, it is hoped 
that it may prove especially valuable for silent 
reading in the schoolroom or in the home. 


PREFACE 


viii 


JACOB AND WILLIAM GRIMM 

It is evident from a comparison of the style of 
the “ Kinder-und-Haus-Marchen ” with that of the 
short stories written by William Grimm that we 
are indebted to the younger of the two brothers 
for the final elaboration of their German folk-lore 
stories. While it is undoubtedly true that Jacob 
did much, and probably more than William, in 
unearthing and collecting these stories, yet the 
fascination of style which has so long charmed 
the children of many countries, for its attraction 
cannot be lost even in translation, should be cred- 
ited to William and not to the older and perhaps 
more renowned brother. 

The life-work of these two brothers is re- 
markable, not alone for what it was in itself, 
but because of the unity which existed between 
two strong intellects. It is unusual to find two 
brothers who are perfectly content to live to- 
gether, follow the same profession, pursue the 


PREFACE 


IX 


same ideals, work in perfect harmony in the writ- 
ing of many books, and, in fact, in all things live 
lives supplementary to each other. 

The two brothers at first were trained for the 
law, but it was not long before they became more 
interested in the light which the law cast in its 
historical aspect upon the growth of mankind 
than they did in the law itself, and the mind 
of Jacob particularly was soon fully developed 
toward his philological bent. For a time he was 
a close student with the noted French scholar, 
Sa vigny, and through the succeeding years of his 
life the whole force of his tremendous energy was 
devoted to systematic research along the lines of 
philology. 

The folk-lore stories were simply one aspect of 
this life study, and with characteristic perse- 
verance the brothers were not content until they 
had exhausted every source in order to make 
their collection complete. Then followed the 
natural result, when the kind-hearted brothers 
conceived of what interest these old tales would 
be to the children, that William should set about 


X 


PREFACE 


recasting them into proper shape for the child’s 
comprehension. 

Their good-natured labor was instantly re- 
warded. As soon as the fairy stories were 
printed the children of all nations became clam- 
orous for them, and to-day the brothers Grimm 
are known by the world at Targe more widely 
through their folk-stories than through their 
erudite theses on philology, the profound value of 
which is unquestioned by the scientific world. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

The Four Musicians 1 

Snow-White and Rose-Red 8 

The Magic Fiddle * 19 

The House in the Wood 27 

Little Red Riding Hood 37 

Tom Thumb 44 

The Blue Light 56 

Rumpelstiltskin 66 

The Three Golden Hairs *75 

The Queen Bee 90 

Cinderella 96 

The Dancing-Shoes 107 

The Boots of Buffalo Leather .... 116 

The Golden Bird 123 

The Sleeping Beauty 140 

One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes .... 146 

Mother Frost 158 

The Brave Little Tailor 165 

The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids . . 177 

The Greedy Blacksmith 183 

xi 






GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


THE FOUR MUSICIANS 

Once upon a time a man had a donkey who for 
many years had carried bags of grain on his back 
to and from the mill. But at last he grew so old 
that he was no longer of any use for work, and his 
master tried to think how he could get rid of his 
old servant so that he might not have to feed him. 

The donkey found out what was in his master’s 
mind, and fearing that he might be killed, he ran 
away. 

So he took the road to Bremen, where he had io 
often heard the street band play sweet music, 
for he thought he could be a musician as well as 
they. 

He had not gone far when he came upon an old 
dog panting for breath, as if he had been running 
a long way. 




B 


1 


2 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


“ What are you panting for, my friend ? ” asked 
the donkey. 

“ Ah,” answered the dog, “ now that I am old, 
and growing weaker and weaker every day, I can 
no longer go to the hunt, and my master has said 
that I must be killed ; so I have run away. But 
how I am to find bread and meat I do not know.” 

“ Well,” said the donkey, “ come with me. I am 
going to be a street musician in Bremen. I think 
io you and I could easily earn a living by music; I can 
play the flute, and you can play the kettle drum.” 

The dog was quite willing, and so they both 
walked on. 

They had not gone far when they saw a cat sit- 
ting in the road with a face as long as three days 
of rainy weather. 

“Now, what is the matter with you, old Tom?” 
asked the donkey. 

“You also would be sad,” said the cat, “if you 
20 were in my place ; for now that I am getting old, 
and my teeth are gone, I cannot catch the mice T 
and I like to lie behind the stove and purr ; but 
when I found that they were going to drown 




V. 


THE FOUR MUSICIANS. 




THE FOUR MUSICIANS 


3 


me, I ran away as fast as I could. Alas, what I 
am to do now I do not know ! ” 

“ Come with us to Bremen,” said the donkey. 

“ I know that you sing well at night, so you can 
easily make a street musician in the town.” 

“That is just what I would like to do,” said the 
cat ; so he joined the donkey and the dog, and 
they all walked on together. 

After some time the three musicians came to a 
farmyard, and on the gate stood a cock, crying io 
u Cock-a-doodle-doo ! ” with all his might. 

“What are you making so much noise for?” 
asked the donkey. 

“Ah,” said the cock, “in spite of my giving 
them a fine day for Sunday I find I must have my 
head cut off to make a dinner for Monday, and so 
I am crowing as hard as I can while my head is 
still on ! ” 

“ Come with us, old Red Comb,” said the don- 
key ; “ we are going to Bremen to be street musi- 20 
cians. You have a fine voice, and the rest of us 
are all musical, too.” 

“ Ah,” said the cock, “ that is just what I should 


4 


GRIMM 1 S FAIRY TALES 


like to do ! ” And they all four went on to 
Bremen. 

Now they could not reach the town in one day, 
and as evening came on they went into a wood to 
stop for the night. 

The donkey and the dog lay down under a large 
tree ; the cat climbed up on one of the branches ; 
while the cock flew to the top of the tree, where 
he felt quite safe. 

io Before they went to sleep, the cock, who from 
the top of the tree could look all around, saw the 
light from a window, and calling to his friends, 
he told them that they were not far from a house. 

“ Then,” said the donkey, “ we must all go on 
to this light, for it may be just the house for us.” 
And the old dog said he should like a little piece 
of meat or even a bone. 

So they were soon on their way again. As they 
drew near, the light grew larger and brighter, until 
20 they saw that it came from the window of a rob- 
ber’s house. The donkey, who was the tallest, 
went up and looked in. 

“ What do you see, old Long Ears ? ” asked the 
cock. 


I 


THE FOUR MUSICIANS 


5 


44 What do I see?” answered the donkey. 44 Why, 
a table spread with plenty to eat and drink, and 
the robbers sitting before it having their supper.” 

44 We should be there, too, if we had our rights,” 
said the cock. 

44 Ah, yes,” said the donkey, 44 if we could only 
get inside.” 

Then the four friends talked over what they 
had better do in order to drive the robbers away. 
At last they hit upon a plan. io 

The donkey was to stand on his hind legs and 
place his front feet on the window-sill; the dog 
could then stand on the donkey’s back; the cat 
was to climb upon the dog ; and the cock was to 
perch on the cat’s head. 

As soon as this was done, the donkey gave a 
signal, and they all began to make their music at 
once. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the 
cat mewed, and the cock crowed, all with such 
force that the window-panes shook and were al-20 
most broken. 

The robbers had never before heard such a noise, 
and thought it must come from witches, or giants, 


6 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


or goblins. They all fled at once and ran as fast 
as they could to the wood behind the house. Then 
our four friends rushed in and took what the 
robbers had left on the table. They ate as if they 
had been hungry for a month. 

When the four musicians had eaten as much as 
they could, they put out the light, and each went to 
sleep in the spot which he liked the best. The 
donkey lay down out in the yard; the dog lay 
io behind the door; the cat went to sleep in front of 
the fireplace ; while the cock flew up on to a high 
shelf. They were all so tired from their long walk 
that they soon fell fast asleep. 

When all was still and the light was put out, 
the robber chief sent one of his bravest men back 
to the house to see how things were going. The 
man found everything quiet and still, so he went 
into the kitchen to strike a light. Seeing the 
great fiery eyes of the cat, he thought they were 
20 live coals and held a match to them. But this 
made puss angry, and he flew up, spit at the man, 
and scratched his face. It gave the robber so 
great a fright that he ran for the door, but the 


THE FOUR MUSICIANS 


7 


dog, who lay there, sprang up and bit him in the 
leg as he went by. 

In the yard the rogue ran into the donkey, who 
gave him a great kick with his hind foot; while 
the cock on the shelf, waked up by the noise, was 
alive in a moment, and cried. 44 Cock-a-doodle- 
doo!” 

Then the man ran as fast as his legs could carry 
him back to the robber chief. 

When he had caught his breath, he said : 44 In io 
that house is a wicked witch, who flew at me and 
scratched my face with her long nails ; then by 
the door stood a man with a knife, who cut me in 
the leg ; out in the yard lay a great black giant, 
who struck me a blow with his wooden leg ; and 
up in the roof sat the judge, who cried: 4 What 
did he do? What did he do?’ When I heard 
this, I ran off as fast as I could.” 

No money could ever have made the robbers go 
near that house again ; but our four friends, the 20 
musicians, liked the place so well that they would 
not leave it, and so far as I know they are there 
to this day. 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED 


Once upon a time there lived in a cottage near 
a wood a poor widow. In the garden in front of 
her house grew two rose-bushes, one of which 
bore white roses and the other red. 

Now the widow had two little girls, who were 
so like the rose-bushes that to one she gave the 
name of Snow-White and to the other that of 
Rose-Red. 

These two little girls were the best children in 
io the world. Snow-White was quiet and gentle. 
She used to stay at home with her mother, help 
her about the housework, and read to her after it 
was done ; while Rose-Red liked to run about the 
fields and look for birds and flowers. 

The two children were very fond of each other, 
and when out walking always went hand in hand. 
Snow-White would say, “ We will never leave 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED 


9 


each other,” while her sister would answer, “ No, 
never so long as we live.” 

The children often went to the wood to pick 
berries. Not a living thing ever did them any 
harm, for all the animals were quite friendly with 
them. The little rabbits ate leaves out of their 
hands ; even the deer would not run from them ; 
while the birds sang for them in the trees. Some- 
times they would stay in the forest all night, and 
still their mother knew there was no cause for fear, io 

One morning, after the sisters had been sleeping 
all night in a soft bed of moss, they opened their 
eyes and saw near them a beautiful little child, 
whose clothes were white and shining. When he 
saw that they were awake, he smiled at them 
kindly, and then seemed to go away in a mist. 
They looked around and found that they had been 
sleeping on the edge of a dark, deep hole, into 
which they would surely have fallen had they 
moved during the night. Their mother said it 20 
must have been one of the angels who watch over 
all good children. 

The little girls kept their mother’s house so 


10 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


neat and clean that there was never a speck of 
dust to be found. Each morning in summer, 
Rose-Red picked fresh flowers to place by her 
mother’s bed. In winter, Snow-White made the 
fire, filled the tea-kettle, and placed it over the 
bright blaze. 

In the evening, when the snow was falling, and 
the door closed and locked, Snow-White and 
Rose-Red would take seats around the fire in the 
io bright little room and knit their stockings, while 
their mother read to them out of some good book. 

One evening there came a rap at the door, and 
the mother said, “ Rose-Red, open the door quickly; 
some one may be lost in the snow.” 

So Rose-Red unlocked the door, when who 
should come in but a great, black bear. 

At first they were all very much afraid, until 
the bear began to speak, and said: “Do not fear; 
I will not hurt you. I only wish to warm myself 
20 by the fire, for my paws are nearly frozen.” 

“Poor bear,” cried the mother, “come and lie 
down by the fire, but take care not to burn your 
coat of fur.” 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED 


11 


Then she called out: “Snow-White and Rose- 
Red, come here ! This is a good bear ; he will not 
hurt you.” So they both came up by the fire, and 
the bear said, “Dear children, will you please 
sweep the snow from my fur? ” 

They took the broom and brushed the bear’s 
fur until it was quite smooth. Then the huge 
fellow lay down at full length before the warm 
fire. In a short time the children had lost all 
fear of him. They jumped upon his back, rolled io 
over him on to the floor, and pulled his thick fur, 
and the bear did not mind in the least. 

When bedtime came, the mother said to him, 

“ You may stay here by the fire all night, if you 
like, as it is too cold for you to try to go home.” 

In the morning, when all were up, the two 
children opened the door, and the bear trotted off 
into the wood. After this he came every evening, 
always at the same time. He would lie down in 
front of the fire, and let the children play with 20 
him as much as they pleased. At last they grew 
so used to him that no one thought of locking 
the door until the big black bear had come in. 


12 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


So the winter passed, and the grass began to 
grow, and the buds began to swell, and the birds 
began to sing, and spring had come. 

One morning the bear said to Snow-White, “ I 
shall be gone all summer, and you will not see me 
again until winter comes.” 

“ Where are you going, dear Bear ? ” asked 
Snow-White. 

“ I must go into the forest,” he answered, “ to 
io hide my gold from those wicked little dwarfs. 
While winter is here, and the ground is frozen 
hard, they cannot find it, but when the snow is 
gone, and the sun has warmed the earth, it is 
easy for them to dig up my gold. When once 
they have stolen anything, it is hard to get it 
back again.” 

Snow-White felt very sorry when the bear said 
good-by. As he went out of the door, the latch 
caught his fur and tore off a piece. Snow-White 
20 thought she saw something shine like gold under 
his skin, but she was not sure, for the bear went 
away quickly and was soon lost to sight in the 
forest. 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED 


13 


One day the mother sent her children into the 
forest to pick up wood. While walking along 
hand in hand they came upon a large tree which 
had fallen to the ground. Snow-White thought 
she saw something jumping up and down on the 
other side of the trunk. When they came nearer, 
they found that a little dwarf with a dried-up 
face had caught his long beard in a crack of the 
tree. 

The dwarf was jumping about like a puppy at io 
the end of a string, but he could not get free. 
He looked at the children with his red, fiery eyes, 
and cried : “ What are you standing there for ! 
Why don’t you help me out ! ” 

“ Poor little man ! ” said Rose-Red, “ Kow did 
it happen ? ” 

“ You stupid goose ! ” he cried, “ I was trying 
to split the tree, but as I drove in my axe, it 
slipped out, and the tree closed so quickly that 
I caught my long white beard in it. Now why 2 o 
don’t you do something?” 

In spite of his cross words and ugly looks the 
children were willing to help the little fello^. 


14 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


They tried to pull out his beard, but the tree 
held it fast. 

“ Ah, I know what to do,” cried Snow-White. 
And she quickly took her scissors out of her 
pocket, and cut off the dwarf’s beard close to the 
trunk of the tree. No sooner was the ugly fellow 
free than he caught up a bag of gold which was 
lying among the roots, and ran off without even 
thanking the children. 

io A short time after this, Snow-White and Rose- 
Red went out to catch some fish for dinner. When 
they came to the edge of the stream, they saw 
something like a great grasshopper hopping about 
on the bank. As they ran up, they found that it 
was the little old dwarf. 

“ What is the matter? ” asked Rose-Red. “ Why 
are you jumping up and down ? ” 

“ Do you think I am a dunce?” he cried. 
“ Don’t you see that I have caught a big fish, and 
20 that he has almost dragged me into the water ? ” 
Then the children saw that the long beard of 
the dwarf was tangled in his line, and that the 
fish had indeed almost dragged him into the 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED 


15 


water. They caught hold of him and pulled him 
back just in time. His long beard was so wound 
up in the line, that, in spite of all they could do, 
Snow-White had to take out her little scissors and 
cut it off again. This time only a little piece of 
the beard was left. 

When the dwarf saw this, he was in a great 
rage. “ Why did you cut my beard off so short? ” he 
cried. “ Am I to lose all that I have at your hands ? 

I shall not dare to show my face.” Talking in this io 
way he picked up a bag of pearls, which he had hid- 
den in a tuft of grass, and ran quickly away. 

A few days later, the mother sent her two chil- 
dren to town to buy some ribbon and thread. 
Their path led across a field, and soon Snow- 
White saw a large bird flying round and round. 
At last he dropped to the ground, and at the same 
time they heard cries and shouts as if some one 
were being killed. The children ran up to the 
place and found that a great ugly bird had caught 20 
the dwarf in its claws, and was trying to fly away 
with him. The children did all they could to 
help the little man, and pulled and tugged so 


16 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


hard, that at last the bird let go and flew off to 
the wood. 

The dwarf at once began to scold and rage. 
“Why did you hold me so tight?” he cried. 
“You have pulled my new coat nearly off my 
back, you ugly children.” 

Then he picked up his bag of diamonds, and 
slipped away among the rocks. The little girls 
did not mind what he said in the least, but went 
io on to the town to buy the things for their mother. 

On their way back, as they were crossing the 
same field, they came again upon the dwarf, who 
was counting over his diamonds in the shade of 
a big rock. The diamonds flashed and sparkled 
with such beautiful colors that the children could 
not take their eyes from them. 

“ Why are you standing there ? ” cried the dwarf, 
his face quite red with rage. Just then they heard 
a growl, and a huge black bear walked in upon 
20 them. 

The dwarf sprang up in a great fright, but he 
could not run, for the bear stood right in his way. 
Then he cried out and began to beg : “ Dear Mr. 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED 


17 


Bear, spare my life ! I will give you all my gold, 
my pearls, and my diamonds, if you will only spare 
my life. See, I am nothing but a mouthful ; but 
those two fat young girls will make' you a good 
meal. Just eat them instead of me.” 

The bear, without a word, lifted his great paw, 
and with one stroke laid the ugly, wicked little 
wretch dead on the ground. 

The children started to run away, but the bear 
called out to them: “Snow-White, Rose-Red, don’t io 
be afraid ! Wait, and I will go home with 
you.” 

Then they knew his voice, and stood still, but 
as he came toward them, lo ! what did they see ! 
All at once the bearskin fell off, and out stepped 
a young man, with beautiful clothes and a smiling 
face. 

“lama king’s son,” he said, “ and that wicked 
dwarf, after robbing me of nearly all my gold, 
changed me into a bear. I have not been able to 20 
catch the dwarf and kill him until to-day. His 
death has set me free at last, and I am glad to be a 
bear no longer.” 


18 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


Not many years after, Snow-White was married 
to the prince, and Rose-Red to his brother. Their 
mother took the two rose-bushes and set them out 
in the garden of the king’s castle, and every year 
they bore the same beautiful red and white roses. 


THE MAGIC FIDDLE 


There was once a rich miser and he had a ser- 
vant, who served him truly and well. This servant 
was the first one up in the morning and the 
last to go to bed at night. If there were any- 
thing to be done, he was ever ready to do it, and 
no matter how hard he had to work, he was always 
merry and happy. 

After the servant had worked a whole year, he 
asked the miser for his wages, but the miser said, 

“ Wait one year longer, and then I will pay you.” to 
F or he thought to himself, “ I shall save by doing 
this, and the fellow is not so likely to run away.” 

The servant did not fancy this plan, but being a 
happy fellow, he said nothing, and worked for the 
miser another year. At the end of the second 
year, the miser again put him off, and said he 
would pay him at the end of the third year. When 
the end of the third year came, the servant said : 

“ Master, I have served you truly and well for three 

19 


20 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


years. Pay me my wages, for I wish to go away 
and look about the world.” 

The miser answered : “ Yes, my man, you have 
served me well, and you shall have your pay.” 

Then he put his hand into his pocket and drew 
out three pennies. When he had placed these, 
one by one, in the servant’s hand, the old miser 
said, “There^ you have one penny for every year, 
and that is more than you would get from most 
io masters.” 

The good servant, who knew little about the 
worth of money, put the three pennies in his pocket, 
and started off to see the world. 

He had gone only a short way when a little old 
man came out of the bushes beside the road, and 
cried : “ Where are you going, my merry fellow ? 
You sing as if there were not a care in the world.” 

“ Why should I be sad,” answered the servant, 
“ when I have three years’ wages in my pocket?” 
20 “ And pray how much is that ? ” asked the old 

man. 

“How much? Why, three good pennies, to be 
sure,” said the servant. 


THE MAGIC FIDDLE 


21 


44 Listen ! ” said the little old man, 44 I am very 
poor, and I cannot work any more. Give me your 
three pennies, for you are strong and can easily 
earn your bread.” 

Now the servant had a good heart, and he was 
sorry for the poor little man, so he gave him his 
three pennies, and said: 44 My friend, you need 
them more than I do. Take them, I shall not 
miss them.” 

Then the little man said: 44 1 see what a good io 
heart you have, and in turn I will give you three 
wishes, one for each penny ; and I will give you a 
good word besides.” 

44 Ah,” said the servant, 44 you are a fairy I see. 
Very well, then ; first, I wish for a gun which will 
always hit what I aim at. Second, I wish for a 
fiddle, which will make every one dance when I 
play. Third, I wish that no one shall be able to 
refuse whatever I ask.” 

44 You shall have all three wishes,” said the 20 
little old man. And diving into the bushes, he 
came out with a long gun and a beautiful red 
fiddle. These he gave to the servant, and said: 


22 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


“ One word, and I will go. Your master has 
cheated you. Your three years’ work was worth 
a hundred times three pennies.” 

Then the servant was angry, and turned back 
to ask his master for the rest of his money. 

He had not gone far, when he came upon the 
old miser looking at a bird in the bushes. “ Ah,” 
said the miser, “ what a fine meal that bird would 
make, if I only had him ! ” 

io “ If that is all,” said the servant, “ the bird shall 
soon come down.” 

He took aim, and down fell the bird into some 
thorn bushes. As soon as the miser had crept in 
among the thorns to pick up the bird, the servant 
took his fiddle and started to play. At once the 
old miser’s legs began to shake, keeping time to 
the music, and in spite of all he could do, he had 
to spring up among the thorns and begin to dance. 

The longer the servant played, the faster the 
20 miser danced. The thorns tore his shabby coat, 
combed his long beard, and scratched him all over. 
“ Alas, alas ! ” he cried, “ put down your fiddle and 
stop playing or I shall be torn to pieces!” 


THE MAGIC FIDDLE 


23 


But the servant let the old man dance a while 
longer, for he thought, “ You have cheated many 
men in your time besides me, and the thorns shall 
not spare you now.” So he played on and on, and 
the miser had to jump higher and higher, until his 
coat hung in rags about him. 

“ Do stop ! ” cried the miser. “ I will give you 
anything you like if you will only stop. Take 
this bag ; it is full of gold.” 

“ Oh, well, if you are so free with }^our money,” 10 
said the servant, “ I am quite ready to stop my 
music ; but I must praise your dancing, for its 
equal I have never seen before.” Then he took 
the bag and went on his way. 

The miser stood in his rags and looked after the 
servant until he was out of sight. Then he cried 
with all his might: “You wicked fiddler, I will 
get even with you yet. I will chase you till the 
soles of your shoes drop off.” 

Then the miser ran to the judge in the nearest 20 
town. “Just look here, Mr. Judge,” he said; 
“see what has been done to me on the highroad 
by a wicked servant! The sight of me should 


24 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


melt a heart of stone ; my clothes and my body 
torn, and my bag of gold taken away! 0 dear, 
0 dear! You must put the wretch in prison! ” 
Then the judge said : How did it happen ? 
Did the man use a sword? ” 

“Oh, no,” cried the miser, “he had no sword; 
but he had a long gun, and a fiddle was hung 
around his neck. The man can be easily found.” 
So the judge sent out men after the faithful 
To servant, who had been walking slowly along. 
They soon came up to him and found the bag of 
gold in his pocket. 

When the servant came before the judge, he 
said : “ I did not lay my hand on the miser, nor 
did I take his money away. He gave it to me of 
his own free will, if I would only stop playing; 
for he said that he could not stand my music.” 

“ What next ? ” cried the miser. “ His lies are 
as thick as flies on the wall.” 

20 And the judge, who could not believe the ser- 
vant, said : “ You tell a very poor story. No man 
ever gave a bag of gold for such a thing as that.” 
And he ordered the servant to be hung to the 


THE MAGIC FIDDLE 


25 


gallows for robbing a man on the king’s high- 
way. 

As the servant was being led to the gallows, 
the miser cried after him, “ You dog of a fiddler, 
it is good enough for you ! ” 

The servant climbed the ladder to the gallows, 
with the rope around his neck. Just before he got 
to the top, he turned, and said to the judge, “ Let 
me do one thing before I die.” 

“ So long as you ask not for your life,” said the io 
judge, “ I will grant your wish.” 

“ All I want,” said the servant, “ is to play my 
fiddle once more before I die.” 

Then the miser gave a loud cry, “ Don’t do it, 
Mr. Judge ; don’t let him do it ! ” 

But the judge said, “Why should I refuse him? 
He may do it, and that is the end of it.” 

The judge could not have refused this last wish, 
even if he had wanted to, because of the fairy’s 
gift to the servant. 20 

Then the miser cried, “ Alas, alas ! tie me tight, 
tie me tight ! ” 

The good servant took his fiddle and started to 


26 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


play. At the first sound, all began to wag their 
heads : the judge, his clerk, the jailer, the hangman, 
and every one who had come to see the hanging. 

At the second scrape, they all lifted their legs, 
and the hangman let go his hold of the servant 
that he might get ready to dance. 

At the third scrape, they one and all jumped 
into the air and began to caper madly about, with 
the judge and the miser at the head. 
io Soon every one, old and young, fat and lean, was 
dancing as hard as he could. Even the dogs stood 
up on their hind legs and danced about with the 
rest. The longer the fiddler played, the higher 
they jumped, until at last the judge, quite out of 
breath, cried, “ I give you your life, if you will 
only stop playing.'’ 

So the servant hung the fiddle around his neck, 
and came down the ladder. He went up to the 
miser, who lay, all tired out, on the ground, and 
20 said to him, “ Tell the truth about how I came 
by that money, or I will play again.” 

Then the miser told the judge the whole truth, 
and the judge ordered him to be hung on the gal- 
lows in place of the good servant. 


THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD 


Once upon a time a poor wood-cutter lived 
with his wife and three daughters in a little hut 
on the edge of a great forest. One morning, when 
he was going to his work, he said to his wife, 
“Let our oldest girl bring my dinner to me to- 
day, and in order that she may know which way to 
go, I will take a bag of seeds with me, and scatter 
them along my path.” 

When it was almost noon, the maiden took her 
father’s dinner, and went along the path into the io 
wood, but she soon lost her way, for the robins and 
the bluebirds and the sparrows had picked up the 
seeds which her father had dropped, so that she 
did not know which way to turn. 

The girl went on and on, deeper into the wood, 
until night fell and she saw a little light twinkling 
through the trees. “ Some one must be living 
where that light is,” she thought, “ and I am sure 
27 


28 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


I can stay there for the night.” She ran on quickly, 
and soon came to a little house where she had seen 
the light. 

She rapped at the door, and a rough voice cried, 
“ Come in ! ” Then she stepped into a narrow, 
dark hall, and tapped at the door of the room. 
The same voice cried, “ Come in ! ” And as she 
opened the door, she saw a little old man seated at 
a table ; his chin rested on his hands, and his long 
io white beard almost reached the floor. In the next 
room, which looked like a stable, she saw a cock, 
a hen, and a spotted cow. 

The maiden told the old man how she had 
lost her way in the wood, and asked him if she 
might stay in his little house for the night. Then 
the old man called to his animals : — 

“ Oh, little chicks and spotted cow, 

The maid’s request, shall we allow ? ” 

The cock, the hen, and the cow seemed to bow 
20 their heads in answer, and turning to the maiden, 
the old man said, “You will find here plenty to 
eat and drink, so go into the kitchen and cook the 
supper for us.” 


THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD 


29 


The girl soon found the food, and after cooking 
a good supper, she placed it on the table. Then 
she and the old man sat down and ate a hearty 
meal, but the poor animals had* nothing. 

After supper the girl said, “ Kindly tell me 
where I can sleep, as I am very tired.” There 
came a low voice from the next room, saying : — 

“ Oh, maid, take care, 

How we shall fare, 

For in our food 10 

Will lie your good.” 

But the maiden was so sleepy that she did not 
notice what the voice had said. 

The old man told the girl to go upstairs, where 
she would find two rooms, with a bed in each ; and 
that she must shake the beds well, and make them 
both. The young maiden went quickly upstairs, 
made her own bed, and without thinking of the 
other, lay down and was soon fast asleep. 

Not long after the old man came up to his room. 20 
Finding his bed unmade, he sadly shook his head, 
and going softly into the room where the maiden 
lay asleep, he touched the bed with his hand, when 


30 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


the bed, with the maiden on it, slowly sank 
through the floor into the cellar beneath. 

The wood-cutter came home late in the evening, 
and said to his wife : “ Why did you let me go all 
day without my dinner? Did I not tell you to 
send it to me by our oldest daughter?” 

“ It is not my fault,” answered his wife. “ I sent 
the girl with your dinner, but she must have lost 
her way in the wood. No doubt she will come 
io home all right to-morrow.” 

The next morning the wood-cutter again set off 
for the forest, and this time he asked his wife to 
send the second daughter with his dinner. “I 
will carry a bag full of peas with me to-day,” he 
said, “ and scatter them along my path. They are 
larger, and she can see them more easily than the 
seed.” 

But by noon, when the second daughter went 
with her father’s dinner, the peas were gone, for 
20 the birds of the wood had picked them all up. 

She also went on and on into the forest, until at 
nightfall she saw the light and came to the little 
house. Going in as her sister had done, she found 


THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD 


31 


the old man with the long, white beard, and the 
animals in the next room. 

The maiden cooked the supper for the old man 
and herself, but she never thought of feeding the 
animals, and also forgot to make the old man’s 
bed ; so at night, while she slept, the man touched 
her bed and let it down into the cellar below, just 
as he had done to her sister. 

On the third morning, the wood-cutter said to his 
wife, “ You must send our youngest child with io 
my dinner to-day; she is always good and kind, 
and will not lose her way as her sisters have done ; 
for they like to run here and there like wild bees 
when they swarm.” 

But the mother would not listen to him. “ No,” 
she said, “ I will not send my dearest child now 
that the others are gone.” 

“ Never fear,” said the father; “ she cannot lose 
her way, for she has bright eyes ; and besides, I 
will take a bag of white beans with me, and drop 20 
them along my path. She will be sure to see 
them and can easily find her way.” 

So the next day the mother, sad at heart, sent 


32 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


her youngest daughter into the forest. The girl 
carried a basket of food on her arm, and though 
she found a few beans, yet so many had been 
picked up by the crows, hawks, and squirrels that 
she soon lost her way. 

Like her sisters, the youngest daughter went on 
and on into the forest until night fell. Then she 
also found the little house, and going in, saw 
the old man with the long beard, and the animals 
io in the next room. 

When the maiden had told her story, the little 
old man with the white beard said to his animals : 

“ Oh, little chicks, and spotted cow, 

The maid’s request, shall we allow ? ” 

A low voice seemed to answer “yes,” and they 
all nodded their heads. The little maiden went 
into the stable, smoothed the feathers of the cock 
and hen with her hand, and rubbed the spotted 
cow between the horns. 

20 Then the old man told the girl to cook the sup- 
per. It was ready very quickly, and after placing 
the dishes on the table, she said to him : “ Sit 


THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD 


33 


down and eat your supper, while I go out to feed 
the animals. Do not wait for me ; I shall be back 
soon.” 

The good girl found grain for the chickens, and 
gave the cow a lock of sweet hay and some meal. 
“Eat this, you dear animals,” she said, “and if 
you are thirsty, I will bring you some fresh water.” 
Then she brought them a pailful from the spring. 
The cock and the hen flew up on the edge of the 
pail, dipped in their beaks, and then lifted their io 
heads, while the cow took a long drink of the cool 
water. 

After she had taken care of the animals, the 
maiden seated herself at the table, and ate what 
the old man had left for her. 

In a little while the fowls hid their heads under 
their wings, the cow lay down, and the maiden 
said, “ May I now go to sleep? ” 

Then the old man said : — 

“ Oh, little chicks, and spotted cow, 20 

The maid’s request, shall we allow ? ” 


And the animals answered : — 


34 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


“ We feel that she 
Our queen should be.” 

So the maiden went upstairs, shook both beds 
well, and made them, and after saying her prayers, 
was soon sound asleep. 

That night when the clock struck twelve, the 
walls of the house began to creak and groan ; the 
doors sprang open and struck against the walls ; 
thje rafters cracked as if their joints were broken; 
io the stairs were turning upside down; and at last 
there came a crash as if the roof and walls had 
fallen in. Then all was still. 

By this time the maiden was in such a fright 
that she could not move, but when she found that 
she was not hurt in the least, and still in her 
warm little bed, she lay quite still, and at last 
went sound asleep again. 

In the morning when the bright sunshine awoke 
the maiden, what a sight met her eyes ! She was 
20 lying in a fine large room, with beautiful rugs on 
the floor, and with chairs and tables of solid gold ; 
while the walls were hung with shining silks. 
The bed was of ivory, and the covering of red 


THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD 


35 


velvet ; on a chair close by stood a pair of slippers, 
shining with pearls and diamonds. 

The maiden thought she must be dreaming ; 
but while she was looking about her, three ser- 
vants came in, and asked what they could do for 
her. 

“Nothing,” she answered, “only go away, so I 
can get up and cook the old man’s breakfast for 
him, and give those dear animals their food.” 

When the girl had dressed herself, and gone io 
downstairs, she met in the beautiful hall below a 
handsome young man, who said : “ Dear maiden, 

I am a king’s son, who was changed by a wicked 
witch into an old man, with a long, white beard. 
My castle was changed into a wooden house, and 
my servants into a cock, a hen, and a spotted cow. 
The charm could never be broken, unless a maiden 
came to visit us who had a loving heart, and who 
was as kind to animals as to men. You are that 
maiden; and last night while we slept you broke 20 
the charm. The old wooden house was again 
made a royal castle, and the animals were given 
their former shape as my servants. I will now 


36 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


send them to bring your father and mother to live 
with us, for I wish you to be my wife.” 

“ But where are my sisters ?” she asked. 

“ I have shut them up in the cellar,” he answered, 
“ but now they may come out, for they surely have 
learned by this time that they must always be kind 
to animals.” 


LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 


There was once a sweet little girl who was 
loved by all who knew her. She had an old 
grandmother who loved her so well that she could 
not do too much for her. Once she sent her a 
cloak with a red velvet hood, and the little girl 
was so pleased with it that she would never wear 
anything else ; and so she was given the name of 
Red Riding Hood. 

One day her mother said to her : “ Come here, 

. Red Riding Hood, I want you to go and see your i 0 
grandmother, and take her a piece of cake and a 
bottle of wine ; for she is weak and ill, and they 
will do her good. Go quickly, before it gets too 
hot, and do not stop on the way; but do not run 
or you will fall down and break the bottle, and 
then grandmother will have no wine. Do not for- 
get to say ‘ good morning ’ to any one you may 
meet on the way.” 


37 


38 


grimm’s fairy tales 


“ I will do just as you tell me,” said Red Riding 
Hood. 

Her grandmother lived in the wood, a half hour’s 
walk from the village. When the little girl came 
to the forest, she met a wolf ; but Red Riding 
Hood did not know what a wicked animal he was, 
so she was not a bit afraid of him. 

“ Good morning, Red Riding Hood,” said the 
wolf. 

io “Good morning, Mr. Wolf,” she said. 

“Where are you going so early, Red Riding 
Hood?” he asked. 

“ I am going to see my grandmother, sir,” she said! 
“ Mother baked yesterday, and she has sent me 
with a piece of cake and a bottle of wine, for 
grandmother is weak and ill, and they will do 
her good.” 

“ Where does your grandmother live, Red Rid- 
ing Hood?” 

20 “A long way from here in the wood. Her 
house stands near three large oak trees ; it is very 
easy to find,” said Red Riding Hood. 

Now the wolf thought: “ This little girl will be 


LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 


39 


a sweet bite for me, and will taste much nicer 
than her old grandmother. But she would not 
make enough for a meal ; I must eat them both 
up.” 

The wolf walked along with Red Riding Hood 
until they came to a part of the wood which was 
full of wild flowers. “Look at the pretty flowers, 
Red Riding Hood. Why don’t you stop to rest and 
pick some of them ? Do you hear how sweetly 
the birds are singing ? Why do you walk straight io 
on just as if you were going to school, when all 
is so bright out here in the woods ? ” 

Then Red Riding Hood looked up, and saw the 
sun dancing between the leaves, and all the bright 
flowers in the grass, and she thought, “ I am sure 
grandmother would be pleased if I took her a 
bunch of fresh flowers ; it is still early, and I shall 
have plenty of time to pick some.” 

So she left the path, and went out of her way 
into the wood to pick the flowers. Each time she 20 
picked one, she saw others even prettier farther 
on, and she went deeper and deeper into the 
wood. 


40 


gbimm’s fairy tales 


But the wolf went straight on to the grand- 
mother’s cottage and rapped at the door. 

“ Who’s there?” 

“ Red Riding Hood, with a cake and some wine 
in the basket. Open the door ! ” 

“ Lift the latch ! ” cried the old woman. “ I am 
too weak to get up.” 

So the wolf lifted the latch. The door flew 
open, and he rushed in, sprang upon the poor old 
io grandmother, and ate her all up at one mouthful. 
Then he shut the door, put on the old woman’s 
nightdress and nightcap, and lay down in the bed 
to wait for Red Riding Hood. 

After Red Riding Hood had picked as many 
flowers as she could carry, she found her way 
back to the right path, and walked on very fast 
until she came to her grandmother’s house. 

As she rapped at the door, the wolf cried out, 
“ Who’s there ? ” His voice was so gruff that 
20 little Red Riding Hood was at first afraid, until 
she thought her grandmother must have a 
cold. 

So she said, “ It’s little Red Riding Hood ; 


LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD . 41 

mother has sent you a piece of cake and a bottle 
of wine.” 

“ Lift up the latch and come in,” said the wolf. 
And Red Riding Hood lifted the latch and went 
in. 

When she saw her grandmother, as she thought, 
lying in bed, she went right up to her. But she 
could see only her head, for the wolf had drawn 
the bedclothes up under his chin, and then pulled 
the nightcap way down to his eyes. io 

“ Oh, grandmother,” she said, “ what great ears 
you have ! ” 

“ The better to hear you, my dear,” said the 
wolf. 

“ And what great eyes you have ! ” 

“ The better to see you, my dear.” 

“And, grandmother, what great hands you 
have ! ” 

“ The better to hold you, my dear.” 

“But, grandmother, what great teeth you 20 
have ! ” cried Red Riding Hood, who had now 
begun to be afraid. 

“ The better to eat you ! ” cried the wolf. And 


42 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


jumping from the bed, he took poor Red Riding 
Hood and ate her all up at one mouthful. 

Then the wolf felt so sleepy that he lay down 
in bed, and snored so hard that he could be heard 
out-of-doors. 

A hunter, who was going by with his gun, 
thought : “ How the old woman snores ! I must go 
in and see what is the matter.” 

He stepped into the room, and as he saw the 
io wolf on the bed, he said : “ Ah, you old sinner ! 
I have found you at last, and now I will shoot 
you.” But then he thought of the old woman, and 
taking up a pair of scissors, he cut open the 
stomach of the sleeping wolf. 

At the first snip, the little red hood, and then the 
face of Red Riding Hood peeped out, and as he cut 
farther, up she jumped, saying, “ Oh, I am so glad 
to get out; it was very dark in the wolf’s stomach!” 

Next they helped out the old grandmother, who 
20 was still alive. After the hunter had shot the wolf, 
they all sat down, and ate up the cake which 
Red Riding Hood had brought. Then the hunter 
took the little girl safely home. 


LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 


43 


“Ah,” thought Red Riding Hood, “after this, 
I shall always do as my mother tells me, and I 
shall never go from the straight path again, not 
even to pick pretty flowers.” 


TOM THUMB 


One evening a poor farmer sat in the kitchen 
poking the fire, while his wife sat spinning near 
him. At last he said, “ What a sad thing it is 
that we have no little boy or girl to make our lives 
happy and bright.” 

“ Yes,” said his wife, “ even if it were a little 
boy no bigger than my thumb, how happy I should 
be ! We should love him with all our hearts.” 

Now some time after this she had a little boy, 
io who was strong and well, but who was no 
bigger than your thumb. Then she said, “Well, 
our wish has come to pass, and, small as he is, we 
shall love him dearly.” And because he was so 
tiny, they called him Tom Thumb. 

He was given the best of food, but the child 
grew no bigger and no taller than he was the day 
he was born. Still he had bright eyes, and it was 
soon plain that he was far more clever than most 
44 


TOM THUMB 


45 


children of his age ; more than this, he was lucky 
in all that he tried to do. 

One day when the father was all ready to go into 
the forest to cut wood, he said : — 

“ I wish I had a man to drive the horse and cart 
after me.” 

“ Oh, father,” cried little Thumb, “ I can drive 
the horse. Please let me do it. I can drive as 
well as a man.” 

Then his father laughed and said : “ How can io 
that be ? Why, you are much too small to even 
hold the reins.” 

“Never mind how small I am,” said the boy. 

“ You can go as soon as you like. If mother will 
only harness the horse for me, I will take a seat 
on his ear and tell him which way to go.” 

“ Well,” said his father, “ I will let you try once 
to see what you can do.” So off he went into the 
forest, and when the time came, the mother har- 
nessed the horse in the cart, and seated Tom 20 
Thumb on his ear. 

“ Get up,” shouted the little man into the ear, 
and the horse started on. When a turn came, little 


46 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


Thumb cried, “ Gee ! ” And the horse did just as 
he was told. 

Soon he came to the wood, and as the horse and 
cart were turning into a path, two strange men 
came along. They stood still in wonder, for they 
heard the voice of the driver, and saw the horse 
take the right turn, but no one was to be seen. 

“ Halloo,” cried one of the men, “ that is a queer 
thing. Let us follow and see where the cart stops.” 
io The cart went on into the deep forest, and came 
quite safely to the place where Tom’s father was 
cutting wood. 

As soon as little Tom saw his father, he cried 
out: “See, father, I have brought the horse and 
cart. Can’t I drive well? Now, please, lift me 
down.” The father held the horse with one hand, 
and placed his little son on the ground with the 
other. Then Tom sat down on a chip, looking as 
proud as a king. 

20 As soon as the two strangers saw little Thumb, 
they were filled with wonder, and one of them said 
to the other : “ That little chap would fill our 
pockets with gold if we could show him to 


TOM THUMB 


47 


the people in the large towns. Let us try to buy 
him.” 

So they went up to the farmer, and said, “ Sell 
us this little man, and we will take the very best 
care of him.” 

“No, indeed,” said the farmer. “I would not 
part with him for all the gold in the world.” 

But while they were talking, little Thumb had 
climbed upon his father’s coat. He spoke so 
softly that the strangers could not hear, “Father, io 
let me go with these men, I will be sure to come 
back to you and mother again.” So the father 
gave him up for a large bag of gold. 

“ How can we carry you? ” asked the men. 

“ Oh,” said little Thumb, “ put me on the brim 
of your hat, for there I can walk about, and see 
where I am going. I will take care not to fall 
off.” They did as he wished, and as soon as little 
Thumb had said good-by to his father, the two 
men walked away with him. 20 

They went on till nightfall, when little Thumb, 
who was tired of sitting on the hat, said, “ Stop ; 
let me down, please ! ” “ Stay where you are, 


48 GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 

little one,” said the man. “No, no,” cried Tom 
Thumb, “I know best what to do. You must 
lift me down.” So the man took off his hat and 
placed it on the ground beside the road. 

Quick as a wink, Tom Thumb sprang from the 
hat, ran through the grass, and jumped into the 
nest of a field-mouse which he had seen from his 
seat on the man’s hat. “ Good-by, my friends, you 
may go home without me now,” he cried, 
io They tried to catch him by poking their sticks 
into the mouse’s hole, but it did them no good; 
for little Thumb crept to the farthest corner of 
the nest. At last it grew so dark that the men 
could not see, and, in a great rage, they had to 
go on without him. 

As soon as little Thumb was sure that the men 
were gone, he crept out of his hole. At first he 
did not know what to do. “ It will not be safe for 
me to cross this field in the dark,” he thought, “ for 
20 1 shall surely break my legs or my neck if I do.” 

All at once he caught sight of an empty snail- 
shell. “ Oh, how luck}^ ! ” he said, “ for I can 
sleep in there very well.” 


TOM THUMB 


49 


So in he crept ; but just as he was going to sleep, 
he heard the voices of two men who were plan- 
ning to rob the parson’s house. One said, “ How 
shall we get hold of his gold and silver ? ” 

“ I can tell you,” shouted Tom. 

“ What was that ? ” asked one of the robbers, in 
a fright. “ I heard some one speak.” 

Then Tom shouted again, “ Take me with you, 
and I will help you.” 

“ Where are you ? ” asked the robbers. io 

“ Just look on the ground and see where the 
noise comes from,” said Tom.” 

At last the robbers found him and lifted him up. 

“ You little mite, how can you help us ? ” they 
said. 

“Try me,” cried little Thumb. “Why, I can 
creep through the iron bars of the window into 
the parson’s room, and hand out just what you 
want.” 

“ All right,” they said, “ we will take you along 20 
and see what you can do, for at least you cannot 
harm us.” 

The robbers never thought of little Thumb’s 


50 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


loud, shrill voice, so they let him creep through 
the bars into the parson’s room. As soon as Tom 
was inside, he cried out as loud as he could, “ Do 
you want all there is in the room ? ” 

“ Hush, do not make a noise ! ” cried the rob- 
bers in a fright. “ Speak lower, or you will wake 
the parson.” 

But little Thumb did not heed what they said 
in the least, and kept crying out as loud as ever : 
io “ What shall I give you first ? Do you want 
everything ? ” 

The cook, who slept in the next room, awoke 
with a start at the sound of Tom’s shrill voice. 
She jumped out of bed, and being in the dark, ran 
right into the door. When the robbers heard this 
noise, they took to their heels, and ran as if they 
would never stop. 

The girl now went for a light, and while she 
was gone, little Thumb slipped out of the win- 
20 dow and hid in the barn, so that she did not even 
see him. After a good search in every corner, 
she went back to bed and thought it all a dream. 

Little Thumb made a snug bed in the hay, and 


TOM THUMB 


51 


was soon dreaming of his mother and home ; but, 
alas, there were other dangers awaiting him. 

When the cook got up the next morning, she 
went out to give the cows their hay, and as it 
happened, she threw down the very bundle upon 
which little Thumb was sleeping. Before he 
awoke, the cow had taken him right into her 
mouth. 

“ O dear,” cried little Thumb, “ what great 
mill is this ! ” But there was little time for 10 
thought, since he had to jump about to keep 
from being chewed by her teeth ; at last he was 
forced down the old cow’s throat. “ Some one 
has left out the windows in this house,” he said, 

“ and I find no candles to light.” 

Worst of all, more and more hay came in at the 
door, until there was very little room in which to 
move. When Tom could stand it no longer, he 
cried out, “No more hay, please, no more hay ! ” 

Now the cook, who was milking the cow, as 20 
soon as she heard him speak, knew the voice for 
the very one she had heard in the night. In great 
alarm she screamed out, tipped over her stool, up- 


52 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


set the milk-pail, and ran to the parson, crying, 
“ Oh, sir, the cow has been talking.” 

“ You are mad,” he answered. But he went into 
the stable to see what was the matter. Just as 
soon as he set his foot within the door, little 
Thumb cried out : “No more hay ! I don’t want 
any more hay ! ” Then even the parson was 
afraid, and thought that some old demon had 
bewitched his cow ; so he ordered her to be 
io killed. 

After the cow had been killed, her stomach, in 
which Tom was hidden, was thrown away. It 
was hard work for Tom to crawl through the 
hay, and just as he poked out his head, a hungry 
wolf ran by and ate up the whole stomach at one 
bite. 

Still Tom was not afraid, and he called out to 
the wolf, “ Mr. Wolf, I know where you can find 
the best dinner you ever ate.” 

20 “ And where is that ? ” asked the wolf. 

“ Oh, at a house not far from here,” said Tom. 
“ You must squeeze through the bars of the store- 
room window, and there you will find cakes, and 


TOM THUMB 


53 


gingerbread, and ham, and beef ; as much as you 
can eat.” And he went on and told the wolf just 
how to find his father’s house. 

“ Well,” said the wolf, “you seem to know what 
you are talking about, and if what you say is true, 
we shall both have a good dinner.” 

So the wolf ran on till he came to the house, 
where he pushed through the bars, and ate and 
ate until he could eat no longer. But when he 
tried to get out again the same way he came in, io 
he had grown so fat that he could not squeeze 
through the bars. This was just what Tom wanted, 
and he began to shout, and make a great noise 
inside the wolfs body. 

“ Hush,” said the wolf, “ you will wake up all 
the men in the house.” 

“ All right,” answered Tom, “ you have had a 
great time eating, and now I am going to make 
all the noise I can.” And he began to shout with 
all his might. 20 

At last his father and mother woke up, ran to 
the storeroom, and looked through the crack of 
the door. As soon as they saw the wolf, the 


54 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


father got his axe, and the mother a long 
knife. 

“ You keep behind me,” said Tom’s father, “ and 
if I don’t kill him at the first blow, you cut him 
with your long knife.” 

When Tom Thumb heard his father’s voice, he 
cried out, “ Dear father, here I am inside the 
wolf’s body.” 

The father cried for joy, and told his wife to 
io throw away the long knife, so that Tom might not 
be hurt. Then he struck the wolf on the head 
with his axe, and killed him at the first blow. 
When they had cut open the wolf’s body, little 
Thumb hopped out. 

“ Ah,” said his father, “ how lonely we have felt 
without you ! Where have you been all this 
time?” 

“ In a mouse’s hole, a cow’s stomach, and inside 
a wolf,” Tom answered ; “ but now I shall stay 
20 with you.” 

“ And we shall never sell you again, not for all 
the silver and gold in the world,” said his father 
and mother. 


TOM THUMB 


55 


Then they gave the little fellow food and drink, 
and new clothes, for those he had on were old and 
worn out by his travels. The bag of gold, which 
the two men had paid for Tom Thumb, was gladly 
sent back by Tom’s father and mother, and all 
three lived happily together for the rest of their 
lives. 


THE BLUE LIGHT 


Once there was a soldier who had, served his 
king bravely and well, but in his many battles he 
had been wounded so often that he was no longer 
able to carry a gun. 

So the selfish king said : “ You can go home 
now, as you are of no further use to me. I can 
only pay those who are able to work.” 

The soldier, who did not know what to do for a 
living, went sadly away. He walked along for 
10 many days, until at last he reached a wood. As 
darkness fell, he saw a light, and when he drew 
near, he found it came from a little house in which 
lived an old witch. 

The soldier, not being afraid even of witches, 
went boldly up to the house, and asked the old 
woman for a bed to sleep in and for something to 
eat and drink. 


56 


THE BLUE LIGHT 


57 


“ Oh ho ! ” she said, “ do you think I would 
give anything to a runaway soldier?” But at last 
she agreed that if he would do some work for her, 
she would take him in. 

“ What do you want me to do ? ” asked the 
soldier. 

“ To-morrow,” said the old witch, “ I want you 
to dig up my garden.” 

This the soldier said he would gladly do. The 
next day he worked as hard as he could, but when io 
night came, the garden was not finished. 

“ I see,” said the witch, “ that you are not able ■ 
to do it all ; but I will keep you one night more, 
and to-morrow you shall split some logs for the 
fireplace.” 

The next day the soldier did what he could 
toward splitting the logs, and in the evening 
the witch said that he might stay another night. 

“ To-morrow,” she said, “ your work will be very 
easy. There is an old dry well behind my house, 20 
and my light, which burns blue and never goes 
out, has fallen into it. I wish you to go down 
into the well, and bring it up for me.” 


58 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


So the next morning the witch led the soldier 
to the well, and as it was very deep, she let him 
down in the bucket. 

The soldier soon found the light, and taking it 
in his hand, he told the witch to pull him up ; but 
when he was near the top of the well, the witch 
put out her hand, and tried to take the light away 
from him. 

“ Ah ha ! ” thought the soldier, “ I see what you 
io would like to do.” So he said, “Not so fast, old 
lady ; you do not get this light till I have both 
my feet safe on the ground.” 

The witch then flew into a rage, and let him fall 
back into the well again, and left him there. The 
poor soldier fell on the moss without doing him 
any harm, while the blue light burned as brightly 
as ever. But his life was of little value to him, 
for unless help came, he knew that he should 
starve. 

20 Now our brave soldier was feeling very sad, 
when he happened to put his hand into his pocket, 
where he found his pipe still half full. 

“ This is the last pleasure I shall ever have,” he 


THE BLUE LIGHT 


59 


thought, as he lit his pipe with the blue light, and 
began to smoke. All at once a little man came 
up to him, and said, “ What do you wish, O 
master ? ” 

At first the soldier could hardly speak. Then 
he said, “ Where did you come from, and what 
do you mean? ” 

“ I mean that I must do anything you tell me to 
do,” said the little man. 

“ Oh, if that is so,” said the soldier, “ the first io 
thing you may do is to get me out of this well.” 

So the man took him by the hand, opened a little 
square door, and led him through a long passage ; 
but the soldier did not forget to take the blue light 
with him. 

On the way the old man pointed out great heaps 
of gold which the witch had piled up, and the sol- 
dier took as much as his pockets would hold. 

When they came to the top of the well, the 
soldier said to the little man, “ Now, go ; tie the 20 
old witch and take her to the judge.” And before 
long he saw her sailing through the air on a broom' 
stick, with the little man close at her heels. 


60 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


Soon after, the old man came back, and said : 
44 Everything has been done as you ordered, and 
the witch hangs on the gallows. What other 
order have you, my master? ” 

44 Nothing, just now,” said the soldier. 44 You 
may go home ; but be at hand when I call.” 

44 You have only to light your pipe at the blue 
light, and I shall be with you,” said the little man. 
And then he went away. 

io The soldier walked back to the town where the 
king had his castle, and bought some new clothes. 
Then he went to an inn, and told the innkeeper to 
give him the best room in the house. 

As soon as he was alone, the soldier lit his pipe 
at the blue light, and when the little black man 
appeared, he said : 44 1 served my king long and 
well, but he sent me away to die of hunger. Now 
I wish to treat him as he has treated me.” 

44 What do you want me to do ? ” asked the little 
20 man. 

44 Late at night, when the king is asleep in his 
bed, bring him still sleeping to me, and I will make 
him brush my clothes and shine my boots.” 


THE BLUE LIGHT 


61 


“ This is a very easy thing for me to do,” said 
the little man, “but it will go hard with you if it 
is found out.” 

As the clock struck twelve, the door sprang open, 
and in came the little man leading the king. 

“ Ah, here you are,” cried the soldier to the king ; 

“ set about your work at once. Come, brush off 
my coat.” 

When this had been done, the soldier sat down, 
and ordered the king to take off his boots ; then i 0 
he made him pick them up and clean them. The 
king did everything in silence, and with half-closed 
eyes, for he was really sound asleep. 

At the first cock-crow, the little man carried 
the king away to his castle, and put him back in 
bed. 

The next morning the king called his wise 
men about him, and told them his wonderful 
dream. 

“ I was taken through the streets at great speed, 2 o 
and to a room where there was a man with a mask 
on, whom I had to serve by doing all kinds of mean 
work. I even had to brush his coat and clean his 


62 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


boots. To be sure it was only a dream, and yet 
I am as tired this morning as if I had really done 
it all.” 

“ Your dream could not have been true,” said the 
wise men, “ but to-night you can fill your pocket 
with peas, and cut a little hole in it, then if you 
are really carried away, the peas will drop out, and 
your path can easily be followed.” 

Now what the wise men said was heard by 
io the little man. That night when he again 
carried off the king, though the peas fell out of 
his pocket, yet they did no good; for the little 
man had thrown peas over all the streets of the 
town. So the king had to do the soldier’s work 
till cock-crow. 

The next morning the king sent out his servants 
to follow the peas, but they could not do so, since 
in every street the poor children were picking 
them up, and saying, “ It must have rained peas 
20 in the night.” 

Then the wise men thought of a better plan, 
and said to the king, “ Keep your shoes on when 
you go to bed, and before you come away from the 


THE BLUE LIGHT 


63 


place where you are taken, hide one of them ; then 
you can search the city until it is found.” 

The little man heard of this plan also, and when 
the soldier ordered him to bring the king again, he 
said, “ Do not do it, for this time I cannot guard 
you against their plans.” 

“Do what I tell you,” answered the soldier. 
And for the third time the king was brought and 
made to work like a servant ; but before he went 
away, he hid one of his shoes under the bed. io 

The next morning the king ordered his servants 
to hunt for the shoe through the whole town. It 
was soon found in the soldier’s room. 

The soldier, warned by the little man, had run 
away, but before he had gone far he was caught 
and thrown into prison. In his flight the un- 
lucky fellow had left the blue light and his money 
at the inn, but he still had one gold piece in his 
pocket. 

As he stood at his prison window, loaded with 2 o 
chains, he saw one of his fellow-soldiers going by. 
He called out to him, and said, “ If you will bring 
to me the little bundle I left behind at the inn, I 


G 4 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES * 


will give you this gold piece.” The friend said he 
would gladly help him, and soon brought the 
soldier his bundle. 

When he was alone, the soldier lighted his pipe 
at the blue light, and the little man was once more 
with him. 

“ Ah, what shall I do ? ” cried the soldier. 

“ Don’t be afraid,” said the little man ; “ go 
where they take you, but keep tight hold of the 
io blue light.” 

The next day a trial was held, and though they 
could prove nothing, the judge told the poor 
soldier that he must be hung. When he was led 
out to the gallows, he asked a last favor of the 
king. 

“ What do you wish ? ” asked the king. 

“ I pray, O king,” said the soldier, “ that I may 
smoke one last pipe.” 

“You may indeed do that,” said the king ; “but 
20 do not be too long about it.” 

Then the soldier drew out his pipe, and lighted 
it at the blue light. When the first rings of smoke 
arose, the little black man came with a short thick 


THE BLUE LIGHT 


65 


stick in his hand, and said, “ What are my 
master’s orders ?” 

“ Strike down the false judge, and the king, and 
the hangman, and the sheriffs, and the lords.” 

Then the little man flew about, as quick as a 
wink, from this one to that one, and whoever he 
touched with his stick fell to the ground and 
could not move. 

At last the king had so great a fear for his life 
and his kingdom that he promised the soldier if io 
he would only call off the little man, he would 
give him a full pardon, and let him marry his 
daughter, the princess. 


RUMPELSTILTSKIN 

Once upon a time, there lived a miller who had 
a beautiful daughter. 

Now it happened that the miller had to visit the 
king’s castle, and while he was going through the 
garden, he met the king face to face. The king, 
seeing the poor miller, spoke to him kindly, and 
the miller, who wished to be thought very rich, 
told the king that he had a daughter who could 
spin straw into gold. 

io “ Ah,” said the king, “ that is a great art, and I 
should like above all things to have your daughter 
come to the castle and spin for me.” 

Then indeed the miller was afraid, but he had 
to do as the king ordered, and so the next day he 
brought his daughter to the castle. 

The greedy king, who loved gold above all 
things, led the poor girl into a room filled with 
66 


R UMP ELS TIL TSKIN 


67 


straw, in the middle of which stood a spinning- 
wheel with many spindles about it. 

“There,” said the king, “is your spinning- 
wheel and here is the straw. If you do not spin 
all of it into gold by to-morrow morning, your 
head shall be cut off.” Then he left the maiden, 
and carefully locked the door behind him. 

The poor girl could only sit and weep, for she 
had not the least idea how to spin straw into gold. 

In the midst of her tears the door flew open, and io 
a little old man with bandy legs and a fiery red 
nose sprang into the room. Taking off his long 
peaked cap, he bowed low to the maiden, and 
said : “ Good evening, my dear young lady. 

What is the cause of these tears ? ” 

“ Alas,” answered the girl, “ I am here by order 
of the king, who has told me that I must spin 
this straw into gold or lose my life.” 

Then the manikin said, “ What will you give 
me if I will spin it for you ? ” 20 

“This string of gold beads,” answered the 
maiden. 

The little man took the beads, slipped them 


68 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


into his pocket, and sat down before the spinning- 
wheel. Hardly had the wheel begun to sing its 
whir, whir, whir, when the maiden saw that the 
spindle was filled with the finest of spun gold. 
Again the wheel went humming round, and again 
the spindle was filled. The little man kept so 
busily at work that before long all the straw was 
gone, and in its place were spindles full of gold. 

The next morning at sunrise the king unbolted 
iothe door, and his greedy eyes were filled with joy 
at sight of the golden spindles. 

These riches made the king even more greedy 
than before, and leading the maiden into a still 
larger chamber, where there was a great pile of 
straw, he said, “ Young woman, if you value your 
life, you must spin this straw into gold before 
to-morrow’s sun.” Then he turned and left the 
room. 

The maiden’s eyes filled with tears at sight of 
20 this huge heap of straw, and sitting down, she 
began to weep. 

All at once the door opened, and in jumped the 
manikin. Going up to the weeping maiden, he 


R UMPELS TIL TSKIN 


69 


took off his pointed cap, and said, “ What will 
you give me if I help you again, and spin this 
straw into gold?” 

“ The ring from my finger,” said the maiden* 

The little man took the ring and put it in his 
pocket. Then sitting down before the spinning- 
wheel, he began to spin and spin, and so quickly 
did he work, that long before daylight the straw 
had all been turned into gold. 

The next morning when the king looked upon io 
the heap of golden spindles, he thought it the 
most beautiful sight he had ever seen. But the 
pile of gbld only made him eager for more, and 
taking the maiden by the hand, he led her to a 
still larger chamber quite full of straw ; indeed, 
there was hardly room for the girl to sit with her 
spinning-wheel. 

As the king was about to leave the room, he 
said to the maiden : “ This straw you must also 
spin into gold before to-morrow’s sun, or you shall 20 
die. But if you can do the task, I will marry you 
and make you queen over my whole kingdom.” 
“For,” thought the king, “though she is only a 


70 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


miller’s daughter, yet with her spinning-wheel she 
can make me the richest king in the world.” 

Hardly had the door closed behind the king, 
when the little man came hopping and skip- 
ping into the room, and taking off his pointed cap, 
he said, “ What will you give me if I will spin 
this straw for you as I have done before ? ” 

“ Alas,” answered the maiden, “ I have nothing 
more to give.” 

io “ In that case,” said the manikin, “ I cannot 
help you, unless you will promise to give me your 
first child after you have become queen.” 

“Well,” thought the maiden, “it is my only 
hope, and who knows what may happen.” So she 
gave her promise to the little man. 

Then the manikin sat down at the spinning- 
wheel, and soon the wheel began to whir, and the 
spindles were filled with gold. 

When the king opened the door the next morn- 
20 ing and saw the beautiful maiden sitting in the 
midst of the golden spindles, he was very glad to 
keep his promise, and the poor miller’s daughter 
became queen over the whole kingdom. 


R UMPELSTIL TSKIN 


71 


About a year afterward a beautiful little prince 
was born in the castle. The queen had forgotten 
all about her promise to the little man, until one 
evening he came into the room and asked her to 
give him her child. The queen was so filled with 
terror that she fell on her knees, and begged the 
little man to take all the riches of the kingdom, 
but to leave her the child. 

“No,” said the little man, “I will not do it. 
Something living will please me more than all the io 
riches in the world.” 

Then the queen began to weep and to beg so 
hard for her child that at last the little man had 
pity upon her, and said, “ I will give you one 
chance ; if within three days you can guess my 
name, you shall keep your child.” 

The queen lay awake that night thinking of all 
the names she had ever heard. In the morning 
men were sent to every part of the kingdom 
to write down the strangest names they could 20 
find. 

The next evening the little man came again, and 
the queen began to call off to him all the names 


72 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


that she had found : Casper, Melchior, Balgar, and 
many, many others. But at each one the little 
man shook his head, and said, “No, that is not 
my name.” 

The second day the queen had her servants go 
from house to house through the town and take 
down the name of every man, woman, and child. 
When the little man came that evening, she had a 
long list of strange names to give him. “ Perhaps 
io your name is Cowribs, Spindleshanks, or Lacelegs,” 
she said. But he answered to each one, “No, 
that is not my name.” 

On the third day, the men came back who had 
been sent over the kingdom to search for new 
names. The queen could get no help from them, 
until at last one came, who said : “ I have not 
been able to find any new names, but on the side 
of a high mountain in the deep woods I heard a 
fox wish good-night to a rabbit. Soon I came 
20 upon a little house in front of which a fire was 
burning. Around this fire danced a little man 
with a pointed cap and a nose which was fiery 
red, and as he went hopping and jumping about, 


Ji UMPEL S TIL TSKIN 


73 


first on one leg and then on the other, he 
sang : — 

“ My baking and brewing I’ll do to-day, 

The Queen’s son to-morrow I’ll take away, 

No wise man can show the queen where to begin, 

For my name, to be sure, is Rumpelstiltskin.” 

The queen clapped her hands for joy. She 
knew that at last she had found the name of the 
queer little man. Haying sent the servant away 
with a bag of gold, she waited for the manikin to i° 
come to her. 

Soon the little fellow came hopping and skip- 
ping up to the queen, and said, 44 Now, O queen, 
this is your last chance to tell me my name.” 

Then the queen asked, 44 Is your name Conrad ? ” 

44 No.” 

44 Henry ? ” 

44 No.” 

44 Then your name is Rumpelstiltskin.” 

44 The fairies have told you ! the fairies have told 20 
you!” shouted the little man. He became so 
angry that in his rage he stamped his right foot 


74 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


into the ground with such force that he sank up 
to his knee in the earth. This made him more 
angry still, and taking hold of his left leg with 
both hands, he pulled so hard that he tore himself 
quite in two. 


THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS 


Once upon a time in a small town not far from 
the king’s castle there lived a poor woman with 
her only son. Now this son was born very lucky, 
and it was said by a wise fairy that in his nine- 
teenth year he should marry the king’s daughter. 

Soon after the fairy had said this, the king 
came to the town; but as no one knew that he 
was the king, the story reached his ears that there 
was a little child in the village who was born 
very lucky, and who, a good fairy had said, would io 
marry the king’s daughter. 

Now the king had a wicked heart, and was 
very angry when he heard this, so he went to the 
mother of the little boy, and said : “I am very 
rich. Give me your little child to bring up for 
my own.” 

At first the mother would not listen to him, 
but when the king offered to give her a large 
75 


76 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


bag of gold, and told her that if the child was 
born lucky, everything must turn out well with 
him, she at last gave him up. 

The king put the little one in a box, and rode 
along until he came to a deep river, when getting 
down from his horse, he threw the box far out 
into the stream, saying, “That child, at least, shall 
never marry a princess of mine.” 

But the box did not sink ; it floated like a boat 
io on the water, and so high above it, that not a drop 
could get inside. The box sailed on and on, till 
it came to a place where there was a mill and a 
dam, and it could go no farther. 

The miller’s man, who was standing near, saw 
the box, and thought that it might hold something 
of value. He drew it on shore with a hook, and 
when he opened it, there lay a beautiful child, 
alive and well. 

The man took it in to the miller and his wife, and 
20 as they had no children, the good people were 
glad to have the little boy for their own. They 
were sure that God had sent him as a gift. 

The little boy grew big and strong. He was 


THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS 


77 


truthful and honest, and the miller was very 
proud of him. 

Now it happened one day that the king, while 
riding by the mill, stopped and begged the good 
miller for a glass of water. Seeing the fine-look- 
ing young man close by, he asked the miller if he 
were his son. 

“ No,” answered the miller, “ he is not. Nine- 
teen years ago a box was seen on the mill stream 
by one of my men, and when it was opened, thisio 
child was found inside.” 

Then the king knew that this must be the child 
whom he had thrown into the water, and he said 
to the miller, “I want to send a letter to the 
queen, and if that young man will take it to her, 

I will give him two pieces of gold.” 

“ He will gladly do what you wish,” answered 
the miller. And he told the young man to get 
ready. 

Then the king wrote a letter to the queen in 20 
which he said, “ As soon as the boy who brings 
this letter comes to the castle, have him put to 
death at once.” 


78 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


The young man started off with the letter, but 
as night came on, he lost his way. After walking 
for some time, he at last came to a small stone 
house. The door was open, so he went in, and 
there was an old woman sitting by the fire, quite 
alone. When she saw him, she cried out, “Where 
did you come from, and what did you want? ” 

“ I come from my father’s mill,” he said, “ and I 
have a letter to the queen. As I have lost my 
io way, I should like very much to stay here for the 
night.” 

“ You poor young man,” said the old woman, 
“you are in a den of robbers, and when they 
come home, they will kill you.” 

“ They may come as soon as they like,” said the 
young man, “ I have no fear of them ; but I am 
so tired that I cannot go a step farther to-night.” 

Then he lay down on a bunch of straw, and fell 
fast asleep. 

20 Soon after, the robbers came home, and were 
very angry when they saw the young man lying 
asleep on the straw. 

“ Ah,” said the old woman, “ he is nothing but 


THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS 


79 


a boy who has lost his way in the wood. I took 
him in, for he was all tired out. He carries a 
letter to the queen, which the king has sent.” 

Then the robbers went softly to the sleeping 
boy, took the letter from his pocket, and read 
what the cruel king had written — that the boy 
was to lose his life as soon as he had brought the 
letter to the castle. 

Then the robbers, who had no love for the 
king, tore up this letter, and in its place wrote io 
one which said that as soon as the boy came to 
the castle, he should be married to the king’s 
daughter; then they carefully put it back into 
the same pocket. The next morning when the 
young man awoke, the robbers were kind to him, 
and showed him which road to take. 

When the queen had read the letter, she did just 
as the king had ordered. She gave a great mar- 
riage feast, and had the princess married at once 
to the young man. This the princess was glad 20 
to do, for it was plain to every one that besides 
being handsome, he was also good and kind. 

The very day of the marriage, the king came 


80 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


home, and found that the child whom he had 
tried to kill was indeed married to his daughter, 
as the good fairy had foretold. 

“How did it happen?” asked the angry king. 
“ My letter did not tell you to do this.” 

The queen gave him the letter, and said, “ Read 
it for yourself.” 

The king read the letter and saw at once that 
it had been changed. He then asked the young 
io man what he had done with the letter he had given 
to him. 

The young man answered, “ I did nothing to 
your letter, but it may be that the robbers changed 
it while I was asleep in the wood.” 

Then the king said, “You have married my 
daughter, but you cannot have her until you have 
brought me three golden hairs from the head of 
the demon.” 

“ I will bring the golden hairs to you,” said the 
20 lucky young man, “for I am not afraid of the 
demon in the least.” 

So the young man said good-by to the princess, 
and went on his way. His road led him to a large 


THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS 


81 


city, and as he stood at the gate waiting to go in, 
the gate-keeper said to him, “ What can you do, 
and how much do you know ? ” 

“ I know everything,” answered the young man. 

“ Then you are just the one we want,” said the 
gate-keeper, “if you can tell why our master’s 
spring, which used to flow red wine, is now dried 
up and never gives us even water.” 

“Wait till I come back,” he answered, “and 
this I will surely tell you.” io 

He went on still farther, until he came to another 
town, where the gate-keeper also asked him what 
he could do and how much he knew. 

“ I know everything,” he answered. 

“ Then,” said the gate-keeper, “ you are just the 
man we want, if you can tell us why a tree in our 
town which once bore golden apples now has only 
leaves.” 

“ Wait till I come back,” answered the young 
man, “and this I will surely tell you.” 20 

He went on still farther, until he came to a wide 
river, where there was a ferryboat and a ferryman. 
The ferryman also asked him what he could do 


G 


82 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


and how much he knew, and the young man again 
answered that he knew everything. 

“Then,” said the ferryman, “you are just the 
one I want. Tell me how it is that I have to row 
over and back in my ferryboat every day, and can 
never once stop.” 

“ Wait till I come back,” answered the young 
man, “ and then I will tell you.” 

As soon as he came to the other side of the river, 
io he found the door to the demon’s cave. It was 
dark and gloomy, and the demon was not at home ; 
but his grandmother was there sitting on a stool. 
When she saw the youth, she said : “ What do you 
want? You don’t look wicked enough to be in 
this place.” 

“ All I want,” answered the young man, “ are 
three golden hairs from the demon’s head, and if 
I do not get them, my wife will be taken away 
from me.” 

“ You ask a great deal,” answered the old woman. 
“ If the demon comes home and finds you here, he 
will surely kill you ; but if you will trust me, I 
will try to help you.” 


20 


THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS 


83 


So she turned the young man into an ant. Then 
she said, “ Creep into the folds of my dress ; there 
you will be safe.” 

“ Yes,” he answered, “ that is all very well ; but 
I also have three things that I want to ask about. 
First, why a spring which used to flow with wine 
should now be dry ; second, why a tree that once 
bore golden apples should now have nothing but 
leaves ; and third, why a ferryman has to row his 
boat over the river all day long, without ever hav- io 
ing a rest.” 

“ Those are hard nuts to crack,” said the old 
woman, “ but keep still, and when the demon comes 
home, give heed to everything that he says, while 
I pull the golden hairs out of his head.” 

When the demon came home, he looked all 
around, and said: “I feel as if everything were 
not right. I seem to smell the flesh of man. I am 
sure there is some one here.” So he looked into 
all the corners, and went all over his cave, but he 20 
could find nothing. 

Then the old grandmother said : “ Why do you 
stir up everything in the house, and make my work 


84 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


harder for me ? Do come and sit down and eat 
your supper ! ” 

At last the demon did as she told him, and after 
he had eaten, he said that he was tired. He lay 
down with his head in the grandmother’s lap, and 
when he was fast asleep, she took a golden hair 
between her thumb and finger, and quickly pulled 
it out. 

“ Oh ! ” cried the demon, waking up, “ why did 
io you do that ? ” 

“ I had a bad dream,” answered the old woman, 
“ and it made me catch hold of your hair.” 

“ What did you dream about ? ” asked the 
demon. 

“ Oh, I dreamed of a spring from which wine 
used to flow, but now it is dry, and they can’t even 
get water from it. What do you think is the 
reason ? ” 

“ Why,” said the demon, “ if the dunces only 
20 knew, there sits a frog under a stone in the spring, 
and if he were killed, the wine would flow as of 
old.” 

The old woman again smoothed his hair till he 


THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS 


85 


fell asleep, and snored so hard that the windows 
rattled. Then she pulled out the second hair. 

“What are you about?” cried the demon in a 
rage. 

“ Don’t be angry,” said the woman, “ I had another 
dream.” 

“And what was this dream about?” asked the 
demon. 

“ Why, I dreamed this time that a tree, which 
used to bear beautiful golden apples, now io 
has nothing but leaves. What is the cause of 
it?” 

, “The dunces ought to know,” answered the 
demon, “ that there is a mouse nibbling at the root 
of the tree. If the mouse were dead, the tree 
would once more bear the golden apples ; but take 
care not to wake me up again, or I will give you a 
box on the ear.” 

So the old woman spoke kindly to him, and 
smoothed his hair, till he fell asleep and snored. 20 
Then she took hold of the third golden hair, and 
pulled it out. 

The demon sprang to his feet in a great rage, 


86 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


but at last, when he had grown more quiet, the old 
woman said, “ How can I help my bad dreams ? ” 

44 And what did you dream this time ? ” he asked. 

44 Well, I dreamed about a ferryman who says 
that he can do nothing but row and row, and can 
never let go his oar.” 

44 Oh, the stupid fellow,” said the demon, 44 he 
can easily ask any one who wants to be ferried over 
to take the oar, and then he will be free at once.” 
io Now the demon lay down for the third time, and 
as the old grandmother had pulled out the three 
golden hairs, and had found out what she wished 
to know, she let him sleep until daylight. 

The next morning, after the demon had. left, the 
old woman took the ant from the folds of her dress, 
and gave the lucky youth his former shape. 
44 Here are the three golden hairs,” said she, 44 and 
I know you must have heard what the demon 
said.” 

20 44 Yes,” he answered, 44 1 heard every word, and 

I shall not soon forget.” 

44 Well, then,” said the old woman, 44 you must 
now go home just as fast as you can.” 


THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS 


87 


After thanking the woman for her kindness, the 
young man turned his steps toward home, full of 
joy at his good luck. 

When he came to the ferry, the ferryman again 
asked how he could be freed from his task. 

“ Ferry me over first,” he answered, “ and then 
I will tell you.” 

As the young man stood on the other side of the 
river, he thought of the demon’s words, and said : 

“ The next man who comes to be ferried over, you io 
should ask to help you, and place the oar in his 
hands. You will at once be freed from the work, 
and he will have to take it up.” 

Then the youth went on till he came to the town 
where the gate-keeper was waiting to find out about 
the tree. The young man said to him, “ Kill the 
mouse that is eating at the root of the tree, and it 
will again bear golden apples.” The gate-keeper 
thanked him, and gave him two donkeys with sacks 
full of gold on their backs, and a man to lead 2 o 
them. 

The young man soon reached the town which 
had the dry spring. The gate-keeper came up, 


88 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


and said, “ Are you ready to tell me what is the 
matter with the spring ? ” And the youth 
answered : “ Under a stone in the spring sits a 
frog. It must be found and killed. Then will 
wine flow from the spring as before.” And this 
gate-keeper also gave the young man two donkeys 
with sacks full of gold on their backs, and a man 
to lead them. 

The young man reached home with his riches, 
io and the princess was full of joy at seeing him 
again. When he placed before the king the three 
golden hairs, and brought up the four donkeys 
with the bags of gold, the king was pleased, and 
said: “Now that you have done what I ordered, 
you may have the princess ; but first tell me how 
you got all this gold. Where did you find it? ” 

The young man answered : “ I went over a river 
in a ferryboat, and there found the magic words 
which gave me the gold.” 

20 “ Ah,” thought the greedy old king, “ if a young 

boy could find gold in this way, surely I could find 
much more.” 

Setting out, the king soon found the ferry and 


THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS 


89 


the ferryman, just as the youth had told him. He 
shouted to the ferryman, “ Come here, my good 
man, and take me over.” 

Now it happened that the king was the first one 
to pass over the ferry since the young man had told 
him what to do, and no sooner did the boat touch 
the farther shore, than the ferryman thrust the oar 
into the king’s hands, and hopped out of the boat. 

The king was wild with rage, but try as he 
would, he could not let go the oar. And to this io 
day, so far as we know, the wicked old king is 
rowing the ferryboat over and back, over and back, 
for he has never found any one who would take the 
oar from his hand. 


THE QUEEN BEE 


A king once had two sons who were called 
very bright, yet they wasted their time and money, 
and were hardly ever at home. They had a 
younger brother, whom they called stupid because 
he was so quiet and simple in his ways. They 
used to make fun of him and mock him, for he 
was true and honest. 

One day all three brothers went to walk, and on 
their way, they came tQ an ant-hill. The two 
io older brothers wanted to break down the ant’s 
home, in order to see how the little ants would run 
about in their fright, and carry their eggs away to 
a place of safety ; but the youngest brother said : 
“No, no, leave the poor things alone. I do not 
like to see them hurt.” And he made the brothers 
go on without touching the ant-hill. 

As they walked along, they came to a lake, on 
which many ducks were swimming. The brothers 
90 


THE QUEEN BEE 


91 


wished to catch one or two of them to eat; but 
the youngest brother said: “Let the poor birds 
alone. Why should you kill any of them ? ” So 
the ducks were not harmed. 

The three brothers walked on again until at 
last they came to a tree, in which was a swarm of 
wild bees. The two older brothers wanted to 
light a fire under the tree in order to kill the bees 
with the smoke, so that they might take away the 
honey and not be stung; but the youngest brother io 
again held them back, and said : “ Let the little 
bees alone. They like to live as well as we do.” 

Again they did as he said, and the three brothers 
walked on till they came to a castle, in the stable 
of which stood horses of pure stone. They went 
all through the rooms of the castle until they came 
to a door which had three locks. In the middle 
of this door was a little hole, through which one 
could see into the next room. 

Each of the brothers looked through in turn, 20 
and saw a very old man sitting at a table. They 
called to him once, and he did not hear; they 
called to him twice, and he did not hear ; but the 


92 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


third time they gave a great shout. At last the 
little old man arose, opened the three locks, and 
came out. Even then he said not a word, but led 
them to a table spread with food and drink. When 
they had finished eating, he gave them soft beds 
to sleep on, and left them for the night. 

The next morning the little old man came to 
the oldest brother, and led him to a stone table on 
which three lines were written, 
io The first line read : “ In the wood under the 
moss lie the pearls of the king’s daughter. There 
are just a thousand of these pearls, and he who 
can find them all in one day, before the sun sets, 
will free the castle from its magic spell; but he 
who shall look for the pearls and not find them all 
before the sun goes down, shall be turned to 
stone.” 

When the oldest brother read these words, he 
made up his mind to try to find the pearls. So he 
20 dug all day under the moss and leaves, but when the 
sun set, he had found only one hundred of them ; 
and just as the lines had read, he was turned to 
stone. 


THE QUEEN BEE 


93 


The next day the second brother went to look 
for the pearls, but he had no better luck than his 
brother ; and at sunset he too was turned to 
stone. 

On the third day came the turn of the youngest 
brother. He had just begun to look under the 
leaves and moss, when he saw a great army of ants 
running here and there over and under the leaves. 

It was not long before they had found all the 
pearls, and piled them in a large heap. Then the 10 
ant king came up and said, “You were kind to 
me when your brothers wished to ruin my castle, 
and so my servants have found these pearls for 
you.” 

But when the young man came back to the 
castle with the pearls in his pocket, the little old 
man led him up to the stone table, where he read 
the second line, which said, “ If you have found 
the pearls, you next must find the key which lies 
in the sand under yonder lake.” 20 

As the youngest brother came to the shore of 
the lake, a beautiful white duck swam up to him, 
and said: “Friend, you would not let your 


94 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


brothers harm us, and now we are willing to help 
you. What do you wish us to do ? ” 

As soon as the youth told the duck about the 
golden key which lay at the bottom of the lake, 
the bird dived far down into the water, and quickly 
brought it up in her beak. 

After that the young man read the third line on 
the stone table, which told him that he must take 
the golden key and unlock a room in the castle, 
io where he would find the king’s three daughters 
sleeping under a magic charm. He must pick out 
from these sleeping maidens the youngest, and 
wake her up. 

Now these three sleeping maidens were as near 
alike as three peas, and the only way they could 
be told apart was by what they had eaten before 
they went to sleep. The oldest had eaten sugar, 
the second a little candy, and the youngest a spoon- 
ful of honey. 

20 While the young man stood there, not knowing 
in the least which one of the king’s daughters to 
pick out, the queen bee, whose honey he had saved, 
flew in at the open window. She went from mouth 


THE QUEEN BEE 


95 


to month of the sleeping maidens, and quickly find- 
ing the one who had eaten the honey, she settled 
on her red lips. In this way the young man knew 
which one to awake. 

As soon as the princess opened her eyes, the 
evil charm, which had held the castle so long, was 
broken, and all who had been turned to stone took 
their right forms. The youngest brother then 
married the youngest daughter of the king and was 
made heir to the kingdom. io 


CINDERELLA 


Once upon a time the wife of a rich man fell ill. 
When she felt that she was about to die, she sent 
for her little girl, and said: “Dear child, when 
I am dead, be good, and say your prayers every 
night. Then God will always take care of you, 
and I will look down from heaven, and watch over 
you.” 

After the mother had closed her eyes in death, 
the little girl used to go day after day to her grave, 
io She never forgot those last words, and was always 
good and gentle. 

All through the winter the mother’s grave was 
white with snow; but when the bright sun of 
spring came, the little girl’s father had married 
again. 

This stepmother had been already married, and 
had two girls, who were fair and beautiful to look 
96 


CINDERELLA 


97 


upon, but at heart they were evil and wicked. 
They made the life of the good little girl very 
sad and lonely. 

“ Is this stupid goose to sit with us in the best 
room ? ” said the stepmother. 

“ Those who eat should work ; send her into the 
kitchen,” said the children of the stepmother. 

Then they took away all her nice clothes, and 
gave her an ugly old dress and wooden shoes to 
wear. 

“ Look at our fine princess now,” said the sis- 
ters, and drove her into the kitchen. 

There the little girl had to stay and do the hard 
work from morning till night. Besides this, the sis- 
ters made her do all kinds of things, and at night, 
when she was worn and tired, she had no bed to 
lie upon. When it was cold, she crept close to 
the ashes in front of the warm fireplace, and at last 
she was so black and dusty, that they called her 
Cinderella, or Little Cinders. : 

One day, as the father was going to a fair, he 
asked his two stepdaughters what he should bring 
them for a present. 

H 


98 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


“ A beautiful dress,” said the eldest ; “ a string 
of pearls,” said her sister. 

“And you, Cinderella,” said her father, “what 
will you have?” 

“ Father,” she answered, “ please bring me the 
first twig that strikes your hat on the way 
home.” 

The father brought for his stepdaughters a 
beautiful dress and a pearl necklace, and as he 
io rode home through the wood, a hazel twig struck 
his hat; so he stopped, broke off the twig, and 
took it home with him. 

As soon as he reached home, he gave to his step- 
daughters their presents, and to Cinderella the 
twig from the hazel bush. She thanked him and 
went to her mother’s grave, where she planted the 
twig. 

Now Cinderella went to her mother’s grave so 
often and cried so much, that her tears watered 
20 the twig, and it grew and grew until it became a 
beautiful tree. Every time she went to the tree, 
a little white bird would perch among its leaves 
and throw down whatever she wished for. 


CINDERELLA 


99 


It came about that the king was to give a grand 
ball, which was to last for three days. All the 
beautiful young girls in the land were invited to 
this ball, so that the king’s son might pick out his 
bride from among: them. 

When the two stepdaughters found that they 
were invited, they were filled with great joy. 
They called Cinderella to them, and said, 

“ Come and dress our hair, and trim our shoes 
with gold buckles, for we are going to the ball at io 
the king’s palace.” 

When Cinderella heard this, she began to cry, 
for she would gladly have gone to the ball herself ; 
so she went to her stepmother, and begged that she 
might go also. 

“ You, Cinderella ! ” cried her stepmother, “ cov- 
ered as you are with dust and ashes, — you go to a 
ball ! Why, you have no dress nor dancing-shoes ! ” 

But Cinderella begged so hard to go, that at last 
her stepmother said : “ I have just thrown a dishful 20 
of peas into the cinders ; if you can pick them all 
out in two hours, you shall go with us.” 

Then Cinderella, who was a friend to all the 


100 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


birds of the air, went into the garden, and 
cried : — 

“ Come hither, my birdlings, my little doves, too, 

Your friend, Cinderella, is waiting for you; 

With bright eyes and claws, and each sharp little beak, 

Soon all the round peas from the cinders we’ll tweak.” 

Then two white doves flew in through the 
kitchen window, and by and by all the little birds 
who knew Cinderella came, and, nodding their 
io heads at her, began to pick and pick, until very 
soon they had picked every pea from the ashes, 
and the dish was full ; then the birds lifted their 
wings and flew away. 

Full of joy, the maiden carried the dishful of 
peas to her stepmother, thinking that now she 
could surely go to the ball ; but her stepmother 
said, “No, Cinderella, you have no dress, you 
cannot dance, and they will only make fun of 
you.” 

20 Still Cinderella cried and begged so hard that 
her stepmother, to keep her quiet, threw two dish- 
fuls of peas into the ashes, and then told her she 


CINDERELLA 


101 


could go to the ball, if she had all these peas picked 
out in two hours. 

“ She can never do that in time,” thought the 
cruel woman, as Cinderella ran away to the 
kitchen. 

But the maiden went again into the garden, and 
called to her birds : — 

“ Come hither, my birdlings, my little doves, too, 

Your friend, Cinderella, is waiting for you ; 

With bright eyes and claws, and each sharp little beak, 10 

Soon all the round peas from the cinders we’ll tweak.” 

Then the birds all flew down as before, and in 
less than an hour every pea was picked out and 
laid in the dishes. As soon as the birds had flown 
away, Cinderella carried the peas to her stepmother, 
thinking that now she would surely let her go to 
the ball; but her stepmother said again, “No, 
Cinderella, you have no dress nor shoes, and you 
cannot go.” 

Then the cruel woman turned her back on the 20 
poor girl, and with her two proud children she rode 
to the ball. There was no one at home now but 


102 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


poor Cinderella, so she went out to her mother’s 
grave, and cried : — 

“ Shake thy leaves, O little tree, 

With silks and laces cover me.” 

Then the bird in the tree threw down a beauti- 
ful silk dress, covered with gold and silver, and a 
new pair of little golden slippers. In great haste, 
Cinderella put on these beautiful clothes, and went 
to the ball. 

io As she came into the ballroom, looking so 
beautiful in her rich dress and slippers, her step- 
mother and sisters did not know her. They had 
no idea that it could be Cinderella, who, they 
thought, was safe at home picking the peas from 
the ashes. 

The king’s son at once took notice of the beauti- 
ful girl with the golden slippers, and at last he 
would dance with no other. If any one came up 
to ask her to dance, he would say, “ She is to 
20 dance with me.” So Cinderella danced all the 
evening until it was time to go home. Then the 
prince said he would go with her, for he wished to 
find out where she lived. 


CINDERELLA 


103 


But Cinderella’s good fairy took care that she 
should not be followed. Cinderella ran quickly 
back to the hazel tree, where she shook off her 
beautiful clothes, and laid them on the grave ; then 
she put on her old kitchen clothes. The little 
white bird soon flew down and carried the dress 
away, while Cinderella went home to lie in the 
ashes. 

On the second evening, when the next ball was 
given, as soon as every one had left the house, io 
Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said : — 

“ Shake thy leaves, O little tree, 

With silks and laces cover me.” 

Then the bird threw down a far more beautiful 
dress than before, but with the same little golden 
slippers. When Cinderella came into the ballroom, 
the king’s son could not take his eyes from her, so 
great was her beauty ; and he would not dance with 
any one else. If any one came up to ask her to 
dance, he would say, “ She is to dance with me.” 20 

Again, when it was time to go home, the prince 
said that he would go with her. But Cinderella was 


104 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


so quick on her feet that he could not catch her. 
Running to her hazel tree as before, she left the 
ball dress on her mother’s grave, and put on her 
kitchen clothes. When her stepmother came home, 
Cinderella was lying near the ashes, as usual. 

Then the third ball took place, and after the 
stepmother and her two daughters had driven away, 
Cinderella again went to her mother’s grave, and 
said to the tree : — 

io “ Shake thy leaves, O little tree, 

With silks and laces cover me.” 

Then the bird threw down the most beautiful 
dress of all, but with the same pair of little golden 
slippers. 

When Cinderella came into the ballroom in this 
dress, every one stopped dancing to look at her, 
she was so beautiful. Again the prince danced 
only with her, and if any one else came for her, he 
would say, “This dance is mine.” 

20 When it came time for Cinderella to leave, the 
prince again wished to go home with her ; but she 
darted away from him, and ran so quickly that he 
could not follow her. 


CINDERELLA 


105 


Now the king’s son, in order to be sure to find 
out this time who the beautiful dancer was, had 
his servants put sticky pitch on the steps of the 
castle ; so that, as Cinderella ran away, one of her 
little gold slippers stuck fast to the steps, and she 
had to leave it behind. The prince himself picked 
it up. It was very, very small, and made of pure 
gold. 

Then the prince had it cried all over the king- 
dom that he would marry no one but the maiden io 
whom the slipper would fit. When the stepsisters 
heard this, they felt sure that they could wear the 
slipper, for they both had very small feet. 

Then the prince and his servant went from 
house to house with the slipper, and all the young 
maidens who had been at the ball tried it on ; but 
it would fit none of them. 

At last the prince came to the house where 
Cinderella lived. First, the eldest sister took the 
slipper, and tried and tried, but it would not go on. 20 

The second sister also tried the little golden 
slipper, and she pulled and tugged, but her foot 
was too large. 


106 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


“ Have you no other child ? ” asked the prince of 
Cinderella’s father. 

“ None,” he said, “ except a child of my first wife, 
— little Cinderella ; she could by no means be your 
bride.” 

“ Send for her,” said the prince. 

The stepmother answered : “ Oh, no ! I dare not 
let you see her; she is much too dirty.” But the 
prince ordered Cinderella to be sent for, so at last 
io they called her in. 

After washing her hands and face, Cinderella 
came in and bowed to the prince, who gave her 
the golden slipper. She seated herself, took off 
the heavy wooden shoe from her left foot, and 
quickly put on the golden slipper. Then as she 
lifted her head and looked at the prince, he knew 
that she was the beautiful maiden who had danced 
with him at the ball, and he cried, “ At last I have 
found my bride.” 

20 The stepmother and the two sisters were white 
with rage, but the prince took Cinderella on his 
horse, and rode off with her to his castle ; and they 
were happy forever after. 


THE DANCING-SHOES 


A king once had twelve daughters, and one was 
just as beautiful as another. These twelve beau- 
tiful daughters all slept in the large hall of the 
castle, where their beds stood side by side. Every 
night when they went to bed, the door to the 
large hall in which they slept was locked and 
bolted by the king himself. 

Now each princess had a pair of dancing-shoes, 
which were to be worn when the king gave a 
dance ; but it happened that no matter how many io 
new pairs of dancing-shoes the king gave to his 
daughters, the next morning, when he unlocked 
the door, he found the shoes all worn out and in 
holes. 

There was not a wise man in the kingdom who 
could think how this happened, for no one could 
get out of the bolted windows and doors. At last 
the king said that whoever would find out where 
107 


108 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


his daughters went in the night to dance, and how 
they got out of the room, should have one of them 
for his wife. 

But the king also said that any one who had 
tried for three nights, and then could not tell the 
secret of the worn-out shoes, should give up his 
life. In spite of all this, it was not long before a 
prince came to the kingdom who wished to try 
and find out the secret. 

io That night the young man was placed in a room 
near the hall where the maidens slept, and a door 
was also left open so that he could follow them 
if they should go away to dance. 

As soon as the prince lay down to watch, it 
seemed as if lead had been placed on his eyelids. 
He could not keep awake, and in the morning 
the dancing-shoes were found even more worn 
than usual. The second and the third nights the 
same thing happened, and then the prince was 
20 put to death without the least pity. Even this 
did not keep other young men from trying, but 
they all lost their lives. 

Now it happened that a poor soldier, who had 


THE DANCING-SHOES 


109 


been wounded and could not serve any longer in 
the array, was on his way to the town where the 
king and his daughters lived, when he met an old 
woman. 

44 Why are you going to the town ? ” she asked. 

44 I don’t know,” he answered ; 44 but if I have 
no better luck, I may try to find out where the 
king’s daughters go every night to wear out their 
slippers.” 

44 That is not so very hard,” said the old woman ; io 
44 all you have to do is to keep awake, and if you 
do not drink the wine which they will try to give 
you, you will have no trouble.” She then gave 
him a little cloak, and said, “When you wear 
this cloak, no one can see you, and you can 
easily follow the king’s daughters as they go to 
their dance.” 

Her good wishes gave the soldier courage. So 
he at once went before the king, and told him 
he would like to try to find the secret of the 20 
dancing-shoes. 

The king was glad to see the soldier, and in the 
evening, as bedtime came, he was led to the little 


110 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


room. When the king’s daughters came to bed, 
the oldest brought to him a goblet of wine ; but 
the soldier had tied a piece of sponge under his 
chin, so that as he put the cup to his lips, the wine 
all ran into the sponge, and he did not drink a 
drop. Then he lay down, and, after a little while, 
began to snore as if he were fast asleep. 

When the twelve maidens heard this, they 
began to laugh, and the oldest said, “ There is 
io another goose who does not care for his life.” 

Then the maidens arose, put on their most 
beautiful dresses, and danced about for joy, all 
except the youngest, who said, “I don’t know 
why it is, but I feel as if something were going to 
happen.” 

“ You are always afraid,” cried the oldest 
daughter. “ Do you think that after we have 
fooled so many king’s sons we shall not be able 
to take care of this soldier?” 

20 When the princesses were all ready, they came 
in and looked at the man, but he had his eyes 
closed tight, and he did not move ; so they 
thought that he was surely sound asleep. 


THE DANCING-SHOES 


111 


Then the oldest daughter went up to her bed 
and struck it gently. All at once it began to sink 
down into the earth ; down, down it went, till a 
flight of stairs was seen leading into the darkness. 

As the daughters of the king, one by one, went 
down these stairs, the soldier jumped out of bed, 
threw on his magic cloak, and followed them. 
About halfway down, he trod lightly on the dress 
of the last princess, which so frightened her that 
she cried aloud : “ What was that? Who was pull- io 
ing my dress ? ” 

“Don’t be foolish,” cried the oldest daughter, 
“your dress must have caught on a hook or 
something.” 

When they came to the bottom of the stairs, the 
soldier saw bright green fields, through which ran 
a road with beautiful shade trees on either side. 
These trees had silver leaves, which shone and 
sparkled in the light of many lamps. 

“Well,” thought the soldier, “I must take a 20 
proof of all this to the king ; ” so he broke off a 
branch with its sparkling leaves. 

As he did this, the branch gave such a crack 


112 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


that the youngest princess cried out : “ I am sure 
there is something wrong ! Did you hear that 
noise ? ” 

“ That was nothing,” said the oldest sister, “ but 
a gun fired in our honor by the princes.” 

They went on until they came to another street, 
where the trees had leaves of gold, and still farther 
they came to a third street, where the leaves 
sparkled with diamonds. From each of these 
io trees the soldier broke off branches, and the 
youngest daughter, when she heard them crack, 
was again afraid ; but the oldest sister still thought 
them nothing but guns. 

Before long they came to the shore of a lake, 
on which lay twelve pretty little boats, and in each 
boat sat a handsome young prince. As the twelve 
maidens came up they took seats in the twelve 
little boats. 

Now the soldier, all unseen, took his seat in the 
20 boat with the youngest princess. When the prince 
rowed away, he said : “I do not see why this boat 
should row so hard; I cannot keep up with the 
rest.” 


THE DANCING-SHOES 


113 


“Perhaps you are not so strong as they,” 
answered the princess, and the prince said no 
more. 

The soldier now saw before him, on the other 
side of the lake, a noble castle, bright with lights, 
and strains of sweet music came over the water. 
When all had landed, they went to the ballroom, 
where the maidens were soon dancing with life 
and spirit. 

The soldier, wearing his little cloak, danced io 
among them unseen; and often, when a glass of 
wine was brought and placed on the table, he 
would drink it while no one was looking. This 
made the youngest princess feel that something 
was wrong, but the others made fun of her. 

The maidens danced and danced till all their 
shoes were quite worn out. Then the princes 
rowed them back again over the lake, and the 
soldier went as before unseen. 

As soon as they reached the shore, the soldier 20 
jumped out, ran quickly up the stairway to his 
room, and jumped into bed. When the maidens 
came slowly up the stairs, they all heard him 


114 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


snoring loudly, and the oldest said, “ At least 
there is no danger from him.” So they took off 
their beautiful clothes, and soon were fast asleep. 

Now the soldier did not say a word of what he 
had seen, for he wished to go again to hear the 
music, and see the beautiful castle across the lake. 
So he went with the twelve princesses on the 
second night and again on the third night; and 
each time they danced till their shoes were worn 
io out. On the third night the soldier took a golden 
cup as further proof of what he had seen. 

The morning of the third day the soldier came 
before the king, bearing the three branches which 
he had broken off and the golden cup. The king 
then said, “ How is it, sir, that my twelve daughters 
ha,ve worn out their dancing shoes each night, 
while you have been watching?” 

“By dancing with twelve princes,” answered 
the soldier, “in a castle built under the ground.” 
20 Then the soldier told the king all he had seen, 
and gave him the three branches and the golden 
cup. 

When he had heard the soldier’s story, the king 


THE DANCING-SHOES 


115 


sent for his daughters, and asked them if what the 
soldier had said were true. They saw at once 
that they had been found out, and they could deny 
nothing. Then the king asked the soldier which 
one of the twelve princesses he would take for Ins 
wife, and the soldier answered, “As I am no 
longer young, I will take your oldest daughter.” 

So the soldier married the oldest princess, and 
when the king died, he left to him his whole 
kingdom. io 


THE BOOTS OF BUFFALO LEATHER 


Once upon a time there was a soldier who feared 
nothing and cared for nothing. He had left the 
army, and as he knew no trade, he could earn 
little, so he lived by begging. He always wore an 
old cloak and a pair of huge riding-boots made out 
of buffalo leather. 

One day, while on his travels, this brave soldier 
came to a great forest, in which he soon lost his 
way. After walking a long time, he at last caught 
io sight of a man in a green hunting suit. The sol- 
dier stepped up to the hunter, shook hands with 
him, and they both sat down together on the 
grass. 

“ I see you have on fine boots which are well 
blacked,” said the soldier, “ but if you had to walk 
about as much as I do, they would not be fine long. 
Now just look at mine ; I have worn them a long 
116 


THE BOOTS OF BUFFALO LEATHER 117 


time, and yet they still serve me well in a great 
many ways.” 

At last the soldier stood up, and said, “ Well, my 
brother with the bright boots, what is the way out 
of this forest ? ” 

“ That I would like to know myself,” said the 
huntsman, “for I have lost my way, too.” 

“Indeed,” said the soldier, “so we are both in 
the same fix; but let us go on. We may find the 
way out yet.” io 

Then the hunter arose, and they both walked on 
farther and farther into the wood. 

As night came on the soldier saw a light through 
the trees, and said, “ Ah, a light means fire, and 
a fire means something to eat; so let us move 
on.” 

They soon reached a stone house, and when they 
rapped, an old woman came to the door. “We 
have lost our way,” said the soldier, “and we 
would like shelter and food; my stomach is as 20 
empty as a drum.” 

“You cannot stay here,” answered the old 
woman ; “ this house belongs to a band of rob- 


118 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


bers, and if they find you, they will be sure to 
* kill you.” 

“ I think not,” answered the soldier ; “ but as 
I have eaten nothing for two days, I would as 
soon be killed as to die of hunger.” And he 
entered the door. 

The huntsman did not wish to go in, but the 
soldier took him by the arm, and said, “ Come, 
come, my brother, our lives are not so easily 
io lost.” 

Then the old woman said, “Well, get down 
behind the stove, and what the robbers do not 
eat, I will bring to you after they have gone to 
sleep.” 

The men had just crept behind the stove, when 
twelve robbers came rushing in, sat down at the 
table, and, with a great noise, ordered their supper. 
The woman then brought in a huge roast of beef, 
and placed it on the table. When the smell of 
20 the food came to the nose of the soldier, he said 
to the hunter, “I can sit still no longer; I must 
have a piece of that roast.” 

“ They will surely kill us,” said the hunter, and 


THE BOOTS OF BUFFALO LEATHER 119 


tried to hold the bold fellow back. But the sol- 
dier stood up, and as soon as the robbers caught 
sight of him, they threw down their knives and 
forks, and sprang to their guns. 

“ Halloo,” they cried, “ what are you doing here ? 
Are you sent out as spies ? ” 

“ Now stop your talking,” said the soldier; “I 
am hungry. Give me something to eat, and then 
you can do what you like with me.” 

The robbers did not know what to make of this, i 0 
but at last their chief said, “You are a bold fel- 
low, but you shall eat with us, and then you shall 
die.” 

“We will see about that,” said the soldier, who 
took a seat at the table, and began to eat with 
the best of them. Then he called to his friend, 

“ Come, Brother Bright Boots, come and eat ; you 
must be hungry as well as I.” 

The huntsman could not eat, but the soldier 
ate enough for both. 20 

At last the soldier said, “My men, your meat 
is good, but how is your wine?” 

So the chief said to the old woman, “ Bring 


120 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


a bottle out of the cellar, and let it be of the 
best.” 

The soldier, drawing the cork with a pop, turned 
to the huntsman, and said, 44 See what a man with 
magic buffalo boots can do with a bottle.” 

Going back to the table, and holding the bottle 
high over the robbers’ heads, the soldier cried out, 
44 Long life to you all, but may your mouths be 
open and your right arms uplifted!” No sooner 
io had he said these words, than the robbers all 
seemed to be turned to stone, with their mouths 
open and their right arms uplifted. 

Then the huntsman said, 44 Indeed, sir, you are 
a wonderful man ; but come, let us leave this place 
at once.” 

44 Ah, no,” said the soldier, 44 we must not march 
away too soon ; we have beaten the enemy, now 
let us enjoy ourselves.” 

So he made the old woman get another bottle of 
20 the best wine, and when they had both finished 
eating, the old woman showed them the nearest 
way to the town. 

As they came into the village, the soldier met 


THE BOOTS OF BUFFALO LEATHER 121 


one of his old officers. He at once told him about 
the robbers, and said that he and his friend would 
lead a company of soldiers back to capture the 
rogues. 

As soon as they came to the house, the soldier 
placed his men at all the windows and doors, so 
that none of the robbers could get away. Then 
he went boldly in, and going up to the table where 
the robbers still sat with their mouths open and 
their right arms uplifted, he took a bottle of wine, io 
and, holding: it high over their heads, said, “ Long 
life to you all!” 

The robbers came to life again as quick as a 
wink, but were thrown down and bound hand and 
foot with cords. Then the soldier had them tossed 
into a cart like sacks of grain, and off they went 
to the village. 

Now the huntsman, unseen by the soldier, had 
taken one of the guards aside and given him an 
order. 20 

As they drew near the village the soldier saw 
a great crowd of men coming out of the gate. He 
could hear shouts of joy, and saw flags waving, and 


122 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


he knew that some great man must be coming to 
the town. 

“ What does all this mean ? ” said he to the 
huntsman. 

“Do you not know?” answered the hunter, 
“ that the king has been a long time away from his 
kingdom and is now coming home ? ” 

“ Where is the king ? ” said the soldier : “Ido 
not see him.” 

io “ Here he is,” answered the huntsman. “ I am 
the king, and they come to meet me.” Then he 
opened his coat, so that his royal clothes could be 
seen. 

The poor soldier fell on his knees, and cried to 
the king to forgive him ; but the king gave him 
his hand, and said: “ You are a brave soldier, and 
have indeed saved my life. If at any time you 
wish to eat a piece of good roast, step into the 
royal kitchen ; but if you wish to drink a health 
20 when you have on your boots of buffalo leather, 
you must first ask me.” 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


Once upon a time there lived a king, who had 
a beautiful garden behind his castle, and in this 
garden grew a tree which bore golden apples. As 
the apples began to be ripe, they were counted, 
and every morning it was found that one apple 
was gone. When this was told to the king, he 
sent some one to keep watch under the tree every 
night. 

Now the king had three sons ; so he sent the 
eldest into the garden to watch for the first night ; io 
but by midnight he had fallen fast asleep, and in 
the morning another golden apple was gone. 

The next night, the second son tried to watch, 
but he did no better than his brother, for when the 
clock struck twelve, he too was sound asleep, so 
that in the morning still one more apple was gone. 

Then it came the turn of the third son to watch. 
The king had little faith in him, but at last he said 
123 


124 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


he might try. The young prince lay down under 
the tree, and, unlike his brothers, he kept wide 
awake. 

Just as the clock struck twelve, he heard a sound 
of wings rushing through the air, and soon a bird 
flew by with feathers that shone in the moonlight 
like gold. This bird lit on the tree and was pick- 
ing an apple, when the boy raised his crossbow and 
fired. The bird flew away, but the arrow had hit 
io one of its golden feathers, which fell to the ground. 

The prince picked this feather up, and the next 
morning he took it to the king, and told him all 
that had happened in the night. The king then 
called his wise men and told them the whole story. 
They all said that such a beautiful golden feather 
was worth more than a kingdom. “ If one feather 
is worth so much,” cried the king, “ I must and I 
will have the whole bird.” 

Now the eldest son felt sure that he could easily 
20 catch the golden bird, so he set out to find it. He 
had not gone far when he came to the edge of a 
wood, where he saw a fox, and at once he aimed 
his crossbow at him. 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


125 


“ Do not shoot me,” cried the fox, “ for I can 
tell you what to do. I know that you are looking 
for the golden bird. If you keep straight on, you 
will come by evening to a little village where 
there are two inns, one on each side of the road. 
One will have bright lights, music, and dancing, 
but do not stop there; the other you will find 
dark and still, and this one you must be sure to 
enter.” 

“ How can a stupid animal like that know what io 
I ought to do ? ” thought the young man, and he 
let fly an arrow after the fox, who stretched out 
his bushy tail, and darted off into the wood. 

After walking for a long time, the king’s son 
came at evening to a village, and there stood both 
the inns as the fox had said. In the one which 
had bright lights, he heard music and dancing; 
while the other looked dark and gloomy. 

“I should indeed be a dunce,” thought the 
young man, “ if I went to such a gloomy old place 20 
as that, when the other inn looks so bright and 

gay.” 

Then he went into the noisy house, where he was 


126 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


treated so well and lived so gay a life that he soon 
forgot, not only the golden bird, but his father, 
and the lessons he had been taught at home. 

As time went on and the eldest son did not come 
back, the second son said that he would set out and 
try to find the golden bird. He also met the fox, 
just as the eldest son had done, and the fox told 
him the same thing about the inns, but he, like his 
brother, would not listen. 

io When the second son came to the village, his 
brother, who was at the window of the inn where 
there was music and dancing, saw him and called 
to him to come in. This the youth was very will- 
ing to do, and soon, like his brother, he was living 
only a gay and pleasant life. 

As time went on and the two brothers did not 
come back, the youngest son offered to go and look 
for them ; but his father said, “ If your brothers, 
who are both older and wiser, cannot find the 
20 golden bird, how can you ? ” 

At last after the brothers had been gone a long 
time, the king began to fear for them, and so he 
let his youngest son go. At the edge of the wood 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


127 


this young prince also met the fox. He raised his 
crossbow, and was about to shoot, but the fox 
begged him to spare his life, and told him the same 
story about the inns. The prince was a kind 
fellow, and said, “ Do not be afraid, little fox, I 
will not harm you.” 

“ You will never be sorry for it,” answered the 
fox. “If you wish to travel fast, just climb up 
behind on to my tail.” 

No sooner had the prince seated himself than the io 
fox began to run, and away they flew over sticks 
and stones at such a pace that the wind whistled 
through his hair. 

When they came to the village, the prince 
slipped from the fox’s tail, and doing just as 
he had been told, he went straight to the dark, 
gloomy inn, without looking about him, and slept 
there all night. 

The next morning the prince arose and went out 
into the fields. There sat the fox, who said : “ 1 20 
will now tell you what you must do next. Walk 
straight on until you come to a castle, in front of 
which you will find a whole army of soldiers lying 


128 


Grimm’s fairy tales 


down ; but do not be afraid of them, for they will 
all be asleep and snoring. Walk right past them 
straight into the castle, and go through all the 
rooms. At last you will come to a room where 
you will see the golden bird hanging in an old 
wooden cage. Near it stands an empty golden 
cage ; but have a care, you must not take the bird 
out of his wooden cage to put him into the golden 
cage, or some harm will surely come to you.” 
io Then the fox again stretched out his tail, the 
king’s son seated himself upon it, and away they 
flew over sticks and stones at such a pace that the 
wind whistled through his hair. 

When they came to the castle, the prince found 
everything just as the fox had told him. He 
went softly by the sleeping soldiers, walked into 
the castle, and so on from room to room, until he 
came to the one in which hung the golden bird in 
the wooden cage. The golden cage also stood close 
20 by ^ and there on the floor lay the golden apples 
which had been stolen from the king’s garden. 

“How foolish,” thought the young man, “to 
leave such a beautiful bird in a poor wooden cage 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


129 


when there is a fine golden cage for it.” So he 
opened the door, caught the bird, and put it in 
the golden cage. Just as he did this, the bird 
gave so loud a scream that the soldiers woke up, 
ran into the room, and took the king’s son off to 
prison. 

The next morning the prince was brought before 
a judge who, when he had heard his story, ordered 
the youth to be hung. But the king who owned 
the bird said that he would give the young man 10 
his life and also the golden bird if he could bring 
him the golden horse, which could run faster than 
the wind. 

So the prince set out on his search, but he felt 
very sad; for where was he to find the golden 
horse which could run faster than the wind? All 
at once, whom should he see sitting by the I'oad, 
but his old friend, the fox. 

“Now,” said the fox, “you see what has hap- 
pened by not doing as I told you ; but cheer up, 20 
friend, I will tell you how you may find the golden 
horse, and I will even take you to it. You must 
go straight along this road until you come to a 


130 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


great castle, in the stable of which stands the 
golden horse. In front of the stable you will find 
many stablemen and boys lying down, but do not 
be afraid of them, for they will all be asleep and 
snoring, and you can safely lead out the golden 
horse past them. One thing you must not fail to 
do ; put the old saddle of wood and leather on the 
horse instead of the golden saddle which hangs 
near it, or some harm will surely come to you.” 
io Then the fox stretched out his tail, the king’s 
son seated himself upon it, and away they flew 
over sticks and stones at such a pace that the 
wind whistled through his hair. 

Everything happened just as the fox had said, 
and the prince soon came to the stable where lived 
the golden horse. 

Just as he was going to put on the old saddle 
made of wood and leather, he thought to himself, 
“ Such a beautiful horse as this must not have an 
20 old wooden saddle on his back.” 

No sooner had the prince touched the golden 
saddle than the horse began to neigh as loud as 
he could; the stablemen and the stable boys woke 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


131 


up, and took the young prince and threw him 
into prison. 

The next morning the youth was again taken 
before a judge, who said that he must die ; but 
the king who owned the golden horse said that he 
would give the prince his life and also the golden 
horse if he could bring to him the beautiful prin- 
cess from the golden castle. 

With a heavy heart the prince set out, when 
whom should he meet but the faithful fox. “ I io 
ought to leave you to your fate,” said the fox, 
“but I will have pity on you, and will help you 
once more out of your trouble. To find the 
golden castle, you must keep straight on. You will 
get there about sunset. In the evening the prin- 
cess will walk out alone in the garden. As she 
passes your hiding-place spring out upon her and 
give her a kiss ; then she will follow you, and you 
can easily carry her away. But do not allow her 
to say good-by to her father or mother, for if you 20 
do, harm will surely come to you.” 

Then the fox stretched out his tail, the king’s 
son seated himself upon it, and away they flew 


132 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


over sticks and stones at such a pace that the 
wind whistled through his hair. 

The prince came to the golden castle, and every- 
thing happened just as the fox had said. He 
waited till the clock struck twelve and all in the 
castle were sound asleep, when, as the princess 
was taking a walk, he sprang out and gave her a 
kiss. She seemed quite willing to go with him, 
but begged him to let her say good-by to her 
io father and mother. At first he would not do it, 
but as she cried and cried, and fell at his feet, at 
last he said that she might go. 

No sooner had the maiden stepped into her 
mother’s room than every one in the castle woke 
up. The prince was caught and again thrown 
into prison. The next morning the king sent for 
him, and said : “You must surely die unless you 
can do one thing, and that is, to clear away the 
hill in front of the castle, which shuts out the 
20 view from my window. If you can do this in 
eight days, you shall marry my daughter, the 
princess.” 

The king’s son went out to the hill, and began 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


133 


to dig and dig with all his might ; night and day 
he worked, but it was of no use. On the seventh 
day, when he saw how little he had done, he gave 
up all hope. But that same evening the fox 
came to him, and said, “ You have not done as I 
told you in the past and I ought not to help you, 
but lie down and go to sleep; I will do the work.” 

In the morning when the prince awoke and 
looked out of the window, he saw that the hill 
was gone. Filled with joy, he ran to the king io 
and told him that the work was done. So the 
king, whether he liked it or not, had to keep his 
word, and gave him the princess for his wife. 

The prince and princess rode away, and were 
soon met by the fox. “Now, to be sure, you 
have won the best prize of all,” said the fox, 

“ but the princess also owns the golden horse.” 

“ How am I to get it ? ” asked the prince. 

“ I will tell you,” said the fox. “ First, take 
the beautiful princess to the king who sent you to 20 
the golden castle, and he will be so glad to see her 
that he will at once give you the golden horse. 
When the horse is led up to the door, shake hands 


134 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


with the king and all the lords and ladies, but 
leave the princess till the last. As you take her 
hand to bid her good-by, hold it fast, and with a 
spring, lift her on to your horse and ride away with 
her. No one can catch you, for the golden horse 
will run swifter than the wind.” 

All happened just as the fox had planned, and 
the young prince rode far away on the golden 
horse with his beautiful princess. 

io But the fox was not far behind, so when they 
stopped, he came up to them and said: “Now I 
will help you to get the golden bird. When you 
come near the castle where the golden bird lives, 
let the princess stay with me ; I will take care of 
her. Then ride to the castle gates upon your 
golden horse. The king will be so glad to see 
you that he will bring out the golden bird, and 
as soon as you have the cage in your hand, gallop 
back to us and take up the princess again.” 

20 Everything happened as the fox had said, and 
the prince was soon ready to ride home with his 
beautiful princess, the golden horse, and the golden 
bird. 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


135 


“ Now,” said the fox, “how are you going to 
pay me for what I have done for you ? ” 

“ What do you want ? ” asked the prince. 

“ When you get to the wood where you first 
saw me,” said the fox, “shoot me dead, and cut 
off my head and paws.” 

“ That I cannot do,” said the prince, “ after all 
you have done for me.” 

“ Then,” said the fox, “ if you will not do it, 

I must leave you ; but before I go, I will tell you io 
two things that you must not do : buy no gallows 
birds, and do not sit on the edge of a well.” After 
saying these words, the fox ran away into the 
wood. 

“ What did the fox mean ? ” thought the prince, 

“ for who in the world would want to buy gallows 
birds, and I am sure I do not want to sit on the 
edge of a well.” 

So he rode on with the beautiful princess. His 
path led him through the village where his two 20 
brothers were staying. There was a great crowd 
in the village, and when he asked what the trouble 
was, he was told that two men were going to be 


136 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


hanged. As he came nearer, he saw that they 
were his two brothers, who had been wasting their 
money and had done many evil things. 

The prince then asked the hangman if he could 
not set them free. “ If you will give me plenty 
of gold,” said the man, “they may go free; but 
why should you give away your money for two 
bad men who ought to be hung ? ” 

The younger brother gladly paid the gold to 
io free his two brothers, and then asked them to go 
home with him. 

When they came to the wood where each of 
them had met the fox, it was so cool in the 
shade, that the eldest brother said, “Let us stay 
here and rest for a time, while we eat and 
drink.” 

So they all sat down in the shade to rest, and 
while talking, the youngest brother forgot the 
words of the fox, and seated himself on the edge of 
20 an old well. Now the two older brothers saw him 
sit down, and their minds being filled with evil, 
they came up in front of him, and pushed him back 
into the well. 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


137 


Then the wicked brothers took the young princess, 
the golden horse, and the golden bird, and went 
quickly home to their father. “ We have brought 
home not only the golden bird,” they said, “ but 
the golden horse from the golden castle.” 

At first there was great joy oyer all the land ; 
but it was soon found that the horse would not 
eat, the bird would not sing, and the princess would 
only sit and weep. 

Now t{ie youngest brother, when he was pushed io 
into the well, had fallen on to a bed of soft moss, 
which did not hurt him in the least. But the walls 
were so high that he could not climb out. 

While the poor prince was thinking what he 
could do, the fox came to the edge of the well, and 
jumped down beside him. Then the fox said, 

44 Come, take tight hold of my tail, and I will pull 
you up.” And with a whisk and a jump, both flew 
to the top of the well. 

44 You are not out of danger even now,” said the 20 
fox, 44 for your brothers have hired men to kill you, 
in case you should come back.” 

Just then they caught sight of a poor old man 


138 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


sitting under a tree. “ Change clothes with him,” 
said the fox, and off he flew. 

When this change was made, the prince, dressed 
like a poor old beggar, came to his father’s castle. 
At once the bird began to sing, the horse ate up his 
corn, and the beautiful princess cried no more. 

“ What can all this mean?” asked the king. 

Then the princess, said : “ I cannot tell why, 
but I have been very sad, and now I feel quite 
io happy. I think my true prince has come back to 
me.” At last she told the king the whole story, 
although the older brothers had said they would 
kill her if she did. 

The king ordered e very one in the castle to come 
before him, and among them was the young prince 
in the clothes of the old beggar. But the princess 
knew him at once, and ran to him and kissed him. 

The wicked brothers were taken and hanged; 
but the young prince was married to the beautiful 
20 princess, and was made heir to the kingdom. 

Now what did the poor fox do? Not long after, 
the king’s son met him, and the fox said : “ You 
have all that you can wish for in the world, while 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


139 


I am very sad; but you can help me if you will.” 
And once more he begged to be shot dead, and to 
have his head and paws cut off. 

At last the prince said that he would do it, and 
lo ! the fox was turned into a handsome young 
prince, who had been changed into a fox by an old 
witch. 

After this, they all lived happily for the rest of 
their lives. 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


A long time ago there lived a king and queen, 
who were very sad because they had no children ; 
but one day when the queen was resting near a 
spring, a frog crept out of the water, and said to 
her: “ You shall have your wish. Within a year 
you shall have a little girl.” 

What the frog said came true. The queen had a 
little child who was so beautiful that the king 
wished to give a party in her honor. He thought 
io he would invite all the wise women in the land, 
who could grant fairy gifts to his little child. 
There were thirteen of these wise women, but by 
some chance only twelve were invited, and at the 
table twelve golden plates were set for them. 

After the great dinner was over the wise women, 
in turn, named their fairy gifts to the princess. 
The first gave her goodness, the second beauty, 
the third riches, and so on up to the last; but 
140 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


141 


before the twelfth wise woman could speak, in 
walked the thirteenth. 

This ugly old woman was in a great rage, because 
she had not been invited to the feast, and without 
taking notice of any one, she cried in a loud voice, 

“ When the princess is fifteen years old, she shall 
prick her finger with a spindle, and shall fall down 
dead.” Then, without a word, the evil woman left 
the room. 

At these words, every one turned pale with io 
fright ; but the twelfth wise woman, who had not 
yet spoken, now came up, and said : “ I cannot stop 
this woman’s evil words ; I can only change the 
order. The king’s child shall not die, but a deep 
sleep shall fall upon her, in which she shall stay 
one hundred years.” 

The little child was so beautiful, kind, and good, 
that no one who saw her could help loving her. 
As she grew older, the king and queen began to 
feel very unhappy, and ordered that all the spin- 20 
dies in the kingdom should be burned. 

Now, as it happened, on the very day that the 
princess was fifteen years old, the king and queen 


142 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


were away from home, and she was quite alone in 
the castle. The maiden ran about over the whole 
place, looking in at rooms and halls, just as her 
fancy led her. 

At last she came to an old tower, and at the top 
of a winding stair, she saw a little door. In the 
lock was a rusty key. When she turned it, the 
door flew open, and there in a small room sat an 
old woman with her spindle spinning flax, 
io “ Good morning, Grandma,” said the princess, 
nodding her head, “ what is that funny thing that 
jumps about so?” and she held out her hand to 
take the spindle. Then it came about as the 
fairy had foretold. The princess pricked her 
finger with the spindle, and at once she fell upon 
the bed which was near, and lay as if dead, in a 
deep sleep. 

This sleep came not only upon the princess, but 
spread over the whole castle. The king and queen, 
20 who had just come home, fell asleep, and all their 
lords and ladies with them ; the horses went to 
sleep in the stable ; the dogs in the yard ; the doves 
on the roof ; the flies on the wall ; yes, even the fire 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


143 


that burned in the fireplace grew still and slept. 
The meat stopped roasting before the fire ; the 
cook in the kitchen, who was just going to box the 
ears of the stable boy, let her hand drop, and sank 
to sleep. Outside the castle the wind was still, 
and upon the trees not a leaf stirred. 

In a few hours there sprang up around the castle 
a hedge of thorn bushes, which year by year grew 
higher and higher, until at last nothing of the 
castle could be seen above it ; not even the roof, io 
nor the chimneys, nor the flag on the tower. 

So the years went by, and the story of the 
Sleeping Beauty, as the princess was called, was 
known all over the kingdom. As time went on 
many kings’ sons came and tried to get through 
the hedge of thorn bushes ; but this they could not 
do. The sharp thorns seemed to have hands, 
which held the young men so fast that they could 
neither go forward nor backward, and they all died 
a sad death. 20 

After many, many years a prince came to the 
kingdom, and heard an old man tell the story of 
the castle with its Sleeping Beauty. He also 


144 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


knew what clanger lay in the great hedge of thorn 
bushes, but the young prince was not afraid, and 
said, “ I at least shall try to look upon the beauti- 
ful sleeping princess.” The good old man did 
everything in his power to stop the prince, but the 
young man would not listen to his words. 

' Now it happened that the hundred years of the 
magic spell were just ended, and the day had come 
when the sleeping princess was to wake up again, 
io As the prince came to the hedge of thorn bushes, 
it was in full bloom, and covered with beautiful 
flowers. When lo ! before him, through the deep 
hedge, there opened a wide road, and so without 
danger he came to the gates of the castle. 

The prince found horses and dogs lying asleep 
on the ground ; on the roof sat the doves with their 
heads under their wings ; and when he went into 
the castle, the cook and the kitchen-maid, and even 
the flies on the wall still slept. Near the throne 
20 lay the king and queen; while all around were 
the sleeping lords and ladies. So still indeed was 
the whole castle, that he could even hear his own 
heart beat. 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


145 


The prince went on from room to room, until 
at last lie came to an old tower, and going up a 
winding stair, he saw a little door. A rusty key 
was in the lock, and as he turned it, the door flew 
open. There before him lay the sleeping princess. 
She was indeed so beautiful that he could not take 
his eyes from her. 

The prince then bent down and gave her a kiss. 
As he did so, the Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes, 
and with her awoke the whole castle. The king io 
woke up, and the queen and all the lords and ladies 
looked at each other with wide-open eyes ; the horses 
in the stable stood up and shook themselves ; the 
dogs jumped about and wagged their tails; the 
doves on the roof lifted their heads from under 
their wings and flew into the fields; the flies on 
the walls buzzed about; the fire in the kitchen 
blazed up; the meat began to roast; the cook 
boxed the ears of the stable-boy, so that he ran off 
crying ; and the hedge of thorn bushes around the 20 
castle dried up and blew away. 

Then the prince married the beautiful princess, 
and they lived happily forever after. 


ONE EYE, TWO EYES, THREE EYES 


Once upon a time there was a woman who had 
three daughters. The oldest was named One Eye, 
because she had only one eye in the middle of her 
forehead. The second had two eyes like other 
people, so she was named Two Eyes. The young- 
est had three eyes, two like her second sister and 
one in the middle of her forehead, and she was 
called Three Eyes. 

Now the mother and the other two sisters did 
ionot love little Two Eyes, because she was just like 
other people, and they said to her, “ You are no 
better than the rest of the world with your two 
eyes ; you don’t belong to us.” 

So they made her wear their old clothes, gave 
her only the pieces that were left to eat, and did 
everything they could to make her unhappy. 

It happened that Two Eyes was sent into the 
field to take care of the goats. She was often 
146 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES, THREE EYES 147 

very hungry, because her sisters had given her so 
little to eat. One day, when she sat on a stone, 
and was crying because she was so hungry, she 
looked up and saw a beautiful woman standing 
near, who said, “ Why are you weeping, little 
Two Eyes?” 

“I cannot help crying,” she said, “for my 
mother and two sisters do not love me, and they 
are cruel to me. Besides tending the goats, they 
make me do all the hard work about the house, io 
and they do not even give me enough to 
eat.” 

“ Do not cry any more, little Two Eyes,” said 
the wise woman, “ for I will make you a fairy 
gift. After this you will only have to say to your 
own little goat : — 

‘ My little goat, with eyes so clear, 

Pray make and set my table here.’ 

Just as soon as you speak, a pretty little table 
will be set before you, and on it will be all kinds 20 
of good things to eat. When you have had all 
you care for, you need only say : — 


148 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


<My little goat, with eyes so bright, 

Come move thy table out of sight.’ 

And the table will go away before your eyes.” 

As soon as the wise woman had left, Two Eyes, 
who was very hungry, called her little goat to her, 
and said : — 

“ My little goat, with eyes so clear, 

Pray make and set my table here.” 

At once a beautiful little table stood right before 
io her ; it had upon it a snow-white cloth, and plates, 
and knives and forks, and silver spoons, and a 
dinner such as a king might envy. Little Two 
Eyes sat down, and bowing her head, said, “ May 
God be ever with us at our food. Amen.” 

The girl was so hungry that she ate and ate, 
and when she had finished, she said to the little 
goat : — 

“ My little goat, with eyes so bright, 

Pray move thy table out of sight.” 

20 And quick as a wink the table was gone. 

“ This is a nice way to keep house,” thought 
little Two Eyes, who felt better than she had for 
a long time. 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES , THREE EYES 149 

That night when Two Eyes went home with the 
goats, she found some crusts of bread, which her 
sisters had left for her supper, but she did not 
touch them, and the next morning she went away 
without eating anything. 

The first and second times she did this her sisters 
did not notice it, but when the same thing happened 
every day, they said to each other, “ What can be 
the reason that Two Eyes does not touch anything 
which we give her to eat, when she used to be so io 
hungry? It must be that some one is giving her 
food.” 

So the next time little Two Eyes took her goat 
to the fields, One Eye said to her, “ I am going 
with you to-day to see how well you do your 
work.” 

Two Eyes knew that her sister wished to spy 
upon her, so she drove the goat a long way. At 
last One Eye grew very tired with walking, and 
when they sat down, little Two Eyes sang to her 20 
older sister, until her one eye closed, and she fell 
fast asleep. 

So little Two Eyes said : — 


150 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


“ My little goat, with eyes so clear, 

Pray make and set my table here.” 

Then she sat down quickly and ate her dinner, 
and when she had finished, she said : — 

“ My little goat, with eyes so bright, * 

Pray move thy table out of sight.” 

And as quick as a wink the table had gone. 

Then Two Eyes woke up One Eye, and said: 
“ You are of little use in watching goats, for you 
io have been sound asleep. Come, it is time to 
go.” 

When they reached home, One Eye told her 
sister that she had seen nothing, for she had fallen 
fast asleep. 

The next morning Three Eyes told her mother 
that she would try to find out how Two Eyes got 
her food, so when little Two Eyes started to drive 
the goats to the field, Three Eyes said, “ I am 
going with you to-day, to see how well you do 
20 your work.” 

Two Eyes knew why her sister was going, so 
she drove the goat a long way through the grass, 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES, THREE EYES 151 

until Three Eyes was very tired. When they 
both lay down to rest, little Two Eyes sang so 
sweetly that her sister soon closed two of her eyes 
in sleep, but the third eye was wide awake and 
saw all that Two Eyes did. 

Two Eyes, thinking that her sister was fast 
asleep, ordered the goat to bring her the magic 
table with all the good things upon it, and after 
eating she had it taken away again, and the third 
eye of Three Eyes saw it all. io 

That evening, when little Two Eyes again left 
her supper, Three Eyes said to her mother, “I 
know why she leaves our food.” And she told 
what she had seen in the field. 

“ I saw it all with one eye,” she said, “ for the 
other two were tired and fast asleep.” 

Then the wicked mother said to poor little Two 
Eyes, “If our food is not good enough for you, I 
will give you something better.” So she went out 
and killed Two Eyes’ own little goat. 20 

When Two Eyes found what her mother had 
done, she went into the field, and cried and cried. 
All at once she saw through her tears the wise 


152 


grimm’s fairy tales 


woman who had given her the magic table. “ Lit- 
tle Two Eyes, why do you weep ? ” she said. 

“ Ah,” answered Two Eyes, “ my mother has 
killed the little goat, who spread for me the magic 
table.” 

“ Listen, little Two Eyes,” said the wise woman, 
“ I will tell you what to do. Go home and ask 
your sister to give you the heart of your little 
goat. To-night take the heart and bury it in the 
io ground near the front door of the house.” 

Then little Two Eyes went home, and said to 
her sister, “ Dear sister, give me some part of my 
poor goat ; even its little heart will do.” 

“ Well,” said the sister, “ if that is all you want, 
you may have it.” 

So little Two Eyes took the heart of the goat, 
and that night, when every one was asleep, she 
buried it in the ground close to the front door of 
the house. 

20 The next morning what should the mother and 
sisters see in front of the house but a most won- 
derful tree, with leaves of silver and apples of 
gold. Nothing in the wide world could have been 


ONE EYE, TWO EYES, THREE EYES 153 

more beautiful. Little Two Eyes knew that the 
tree must have sprung from the heart of her goat, 
for it stood just over the spot where she had 
buried it. 

Then the mother said to One Eye, “ Climb 
up, my child, and pick a golden apple from the 
tree.” 

One Eye climbed the tree, but when she tried 
to take hold of a branch and pick one of the 
apples, it seemed to slip from her hand and she io 
could not do it. The more she tried, the farther 
away danced the apple. 

“ Three Eyes,” said the mother, “ climb up, and 
try what you can do, for you see better with your 
three eyes.” 

So One Eye slid down from the tree, and Three 
Eyes climbed up, but she could do no better than 
her sister. No matter how hard she tried, the 
apple always slipped from her grasp ; she could not 
pick even a leaf or a twig. 20 

At last the mother thought she would try, but 
after she had climbed the tree, she could do no 
better than her daughters had done. When she 


154 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


tried to pick a leaf or an apple, her hand closed 
upon thin air. 

At last little Two Eyes said, “ May I try and see 
what I can do ? ” 

“ You ! ” cried her sisters ; “ you with your two 
eyes, what can you do ? ” 

But when Two Eyes climbed the tree, the 
golden apples seemed to fall into her hands. 
She picked them one after another, until her lit- 
io tie apron was full. 

After she came down, her mother took the apples 
away from her and gave them to her sisters, for she 
thought they were much too beautiful for little 
Two Eyes to have. 

Now it happened that while the three sisters 
were standing under the beautiful tree, a young 
prince rode by. The sisters then cried to Two 
Eyes, “ Run quickly, and hide yourself, for you 
are not fit to be seen.” And they pushed the 
20 poor little girl under an empty barrel which stood 
near the tree. 

As the prince drew near, he stopped and looked 
in wonder at the beautiful tree with its silver 
leaves and golden apples. 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES, THREE EYES 155 

At last he said to the sisters : 44 To whom does 
this beautiful tree belong? A branch from it is 
worth more than a kingdom.” 

“ This tree belongs to us,” said the two sisters ; 

“ if you like, we will break off a branch and give 
it to you.” So they both tried again, but the 
branches slipped from their hands, and do what 
they would, they could not pick even a leaf. 

“ It is wonderful,” said the prince, 44 that the 
tree should belong to you, and that you should io 
not be able to pick even a leaf.” 

Just then little Two Eyes, who was angry 
because her sisters had not told the truth, rolled 
two of the golden apples, which she had hidden 
in her pockets, out from under the barrel to the 
very feet of the prince. When the prince saw 
them, he asked the two sisters where they could 
have come from. 

Then the two maidens told him that they had 
another sister, but they did not wish to let him 20 
see her, for she had only two eyes like other 
people, and was named little Two Eyes. 

But the prince said he wished to see her, and 


156 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


little Two Eyes had to creep from under the bar- 
rel. When the prince saw how beautiful she was, 
he said, “ My dear Two Eyes, can you break off a 
branch of this wonderful tree for me ? ” 

“I will do it gladly,” said little Two Eyes, “for 
the tree is mine.” Then she broke off a branch 
with its silver leaves and golden apples and gave 
it to him. 

Before the prince rode away, he asked little 
io Two Eyes if he might take her to his father’s 
castle, where she would be a serving-maid to the 
queen. This pleased little Two Eyes greatly, and 
she said that she would be glad indeed to go with 
him. 

When the sisters saw Two Eyes taken away by 
the prince, they also were so pleased that they did 
not know what to do, for they thought, “Now the 
beautiful tree belongs to us, and even if we can- 
not pick its apples, every one who passes will stop 
20 to look at it, and our tree will be known all over 
the kingdom.” 

But when they arose the next morning, lo ! the 
tree was gone. On the very same morning when 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES, THREE EYES 157 

little Two Eyes arose, she saw the golden tree 
growing right under her window. 

In her good fortune, little Two Eyes did not 
forget her mother or her two cruel sisters, and as 
they grew older, they felt sorry for the way in 
which they had treated their little sister, who had 
only two eyes. 


MOTHER FROST 


There was once a widow who had two daugh- 
ters, one of whom was very beautiful and a great 
help about the house, while the other was ugly 
and idle. The mother loved the ugly one best, 
for she was her own child, and she cared so little 
for the other daughter that she made her do all of 
the hard work. Every day the poor girl had to 
sit beside a spring, and spin and spin till her fin- 
gers bled. 

io One day when her spindle was so red with blood 
that the poor girl could not spin, she tried to wash 
it in the water of the spring ; but the spindle fell 
out of her hand and sank to the bottom. With 
tears in her eyes, she ran and told her stepmother 
what she had done. 

The stepmother scolded her, and was so angry 
that she said, u Since you have let the spindle fall 
into the spring, you must go in and get it out.” 

158 


MOTHER FROST 


159 


Then the maiden went back to the spring to 
look for her spindle. ^Now she leaned so far over 
the edge of the spring that she fell in and sank 
down, down to the very bottom. 

When the poor girl first awoke, she could not 
think what had happened, but as she came to her- 
self, she found that she was in a beautiful field, on 
which the sun shone brightly and where hundreds 
of wild-flowers grew. 

She walked a long way across the field till she 10 
came to a baker’s oven, full of new bread, and the 
loaves cried to her, “ Oh, pull us out ! pull us 
out ! or we shall burn ! we shall burn ! ” 

“ Ah, that would be a pity ! ” cried the maiden, 
and stepping up, she pulled all the sweet brown 
loaves out of the oven. 

As she walked along, she soon came to a tree 
full of apples, and the tree cried: “Shake me! 
shake me ! my apples are all quite ripe.” 

The kind-hearted girl shook the tree again and 20 
again till there was not an apple left on its 
branches. Then she picked up the apples one by 
one and piled them in a great heap. 


160 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


At last she came to a small house. In the door- 
way sat an old woman, who had such large teeth 
that it made the girl feel quite afraid of her, and 
she turned to run away. 

But the old woman cried : “ What do you fear, 
my child ? Come in, and live here with me ; 
and if you will do the work about the house, I 
will be very kind to you. You must take care 
to make my bed well, and to shake it and pound 
io it, so that the feathers will fly about, and down in 
the world they will say that it snows, for I am 
Mother Frost.” 

The old woman spoke so kindly that she quite 
won the maiden’s heart, and she said she would 
gladly work for her. 

The girl did everything well, and each day she 
shook up the bed until it was soft and nice, so 
that the feathers might fly down like snowflakes. 
Her life with Mother Frost was a very happy one ; 
20 she had plenty to eat and drink, and never once 
heard an angry word. 

After the girl had stayed a long time with the 
kind old woman, she began to feel lonely, and 


MOTHER FROST 


161 


wished to go home. She was indeed quite home- 
sick. She could not help it, though her life with 
Mother Frost had been very happy. 

When she could stand it no longer, she said, 

“ Dear Mother Frost, you have been very kind to 
me, but I feel in my heart that I cannot stay here 
any longer; I must go back to my own friends.” 

“ I am pleased to hear you say that you wish to 
go home,” said Mother Frost, “and as you have 
worked for me so well, I will show you the way 10 
myself.” 

So she took the maiden by the hand and led 
her to a broad gateway. The gate was open, 
and as the young girl walked through, a shower of 
gold fell over her and hung to her clothes, so that 
she was dressed in gold from her head to her feet. 

“ That is your pay for having worked so hard,” 
and as the old woman spoke, she put into the 
maiden’s hand the spindle which had fallen into 
the spring. 20 

Then the great gate was closed, and the maiden 
found herself once more in the world, and not far 
from her stepmother’s house. As she came into 

M 


162 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


the farmyard, a cock on the wall crowed loudly, 
“ Cock-a-doodle-doo ! our golden lady has come 
home, I see.” 

When the stepmother saw the maiden with her 
golden dress, she treated her kindly, and as soon 
as the girl had told how the gold had fallen 
upon her, the mother could hardly wait to have 
her own ugly child try her luck in the same 
way. 

io This time she made the idle daughter go to the 
spring and spin ; but the girl, who wished for 
riches without working, did not spin fast enough 
to make her fingers bleed. So she pricked her 
finger, and put her hand into the thorn bushes, 
until at last a few drops of blood stained the 
spindle. At once she let it drop into the water, 
and sprang in after it herself. 

Just as her sister had done, the ugly girl found 
herself in a beautiful field, and walked along the 
20 same path till she came to the baker’s oven. 

She heard the loaves cry, “Pull us out! pull us 
out ! or we shall burn ! we shall burn ! ” 

But the lazy girl answered, “ I will not do it ; 


MOTHER FROST 


163 


I do not want to soil my hands in your dirty 
oven.” 

And so she walked on till she came to the apple 
tree. “Shake me ! shake me !” it cried, “for my 
apples are all quite ripe.” 

“ I will not do it,” answered the girl, “ for some 
of your apples might fall on my head.” As she 
spoke, she walked lazily on. 

When at last the girl stood before the door of 
Mother Frost’s house, she had no fear of the great io 
teeth, for her sister had told her all about them. 
So she walked right up to the old woman and 
offered to be her servant. 

For a whole day the girl was very busy, and did 
everything that she was told to do ; but on the 
second day, she began to be lazy, and on the third 
day, she was still worse. She would not get up 
in the morning ; the bed was never made or shaken, 
so the feathers could fly about ; till at last Mother 
Frost grew quite tired of her, and told her that 20 
she must go away. 

The lazy girl was indeed glad to go, and thought 
only of the golden rain which was sure to come 


164 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


when Mother Frost led her to the gate ; but as 
she passed under it, a large kettleful of black 
pitch was upset over her. 

“ That is what you get for your work,” said the 
old woman, and shut the gate. 

So the idle girl walked home all covered with 
pitch, and as she went into the farmyard, the cock 
on the wall cried out, “ Cock-a-doodle-doo ! our 
sticky young lady has come home, I see.” 
io The pitch stuck so fast to the girl’s clothes and 
hair that, do what she would, as long as she lived, 
it never came off. 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 

One fine summer morning a little tailor sat with 
his legs crossed in his open window at work. 
Now this little man liked good things to eat, and 
when a farmer’s wife came down the street, cry- 
ing, 44 Good jam for sale ! good jam for sale ! ” the 
tailor stuck his head out of the window, and said, 

44 Come up here, my good woman ; I wish to buy 
some of your jam.” 

The woman climbed up the three steps with her 
heavy basket, and soon had her goods spread out io 
before the hungry tailor. As he smelled of first 
this jam and then that, the woman thought she 
would surely make a good sale. But after waiting 
a long time, the tailor at last said : 44 1 think I will 
have a quarter of a pound of this strawberry jam. 

It smells so good.” The woman thought he had 
taken a very long time to buy so little jam, and 
165 


166 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


went away with her heavy basket, feeling quite 
cross and angry. 

“ Ah,” cried the tailor, “ how I shall enjoy this 
good jam ! the very thought of it makes me 
strong.” Then he took down some bread from a 
shelf, cut off a large slice, and spread it thick with 
jam. “ How good that looks ! ” he said, “ but 
before I take even a bite, I must finish this coat.” 
Then he put the bread on a chair close by, and, 
io seating himself, he sewed away as busy as could 
be. 

How there were many flies in the room, and as 
the smell of the jam filled the air, they flew down 
in swarms to get a taste of the tailor’s meal. 

“ Halloo,” cried the tailor, “ who invited you ? ” 
and he drove them away. 

It was of no use ; the flies would not stay away, 
but came back even thicker than before. At last 
the tailor could stand it no longer, and, taking a 
20 piece of cloth, he made a great dash at the flies. 
Lo ! when he looked, he found that he had killed 
seven. “ Ah,” he cried, “ what a brave fellow I am 
to have killed seven at one stroke ! I will not 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 


167 


hide it; the whole town shall know how brave I 
am.” 

So, in great haste, he cut out a belt for himself, 
and stitched on it in great big black letters, 
“Seven at one stroke!” “Not only the town,” 
he then said, “ but the whole world shall know of 
it ! ” and he patted himself and swelled out like a 
turkey cock. 

The little tailor tied the belt around his waist, 
and, putting an old cheese in his pocket, he shut up i 0 
his little shop, and started out to see the world. 

As he walked along, he found a poor little bird 
caught in the bushes. He lifted it out, and with 
great care put it in his pocket. Then the little 
tailor went on again and soon came to a high 
mountain. When he had climbed to the top, there, 
quite at his ease, sat a great giant, who looked at 
him in a friendly way. 

The brave little tailor walked right up to the 
giant, and said : “ Good morning, my friend. Upon 20 
my word, you have a fine view of the world from 
here; but I am on my travels to see if 1 can find 
good luck. Would you not like to go with me?” 


168 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


The giant looked down on the little tailor, and 
said : “ You little imp ! What, go with you ! Why, 
you are not more than a mouthful.” 

“ Stop ! ” cried the tailor, “ not so fast ! ” and, 
opening his coat, he pointed to the words on his 
belt. “ If you can read, that will show you how 
much of a man I am.” 

The giant read, “ Seven at one stroke ! ”, and, 
thinking it must have been seven men whom the 
io tailor had killed, he looked upon the little man 
with more good-will. 

“Well, now, I will try you,” said the giant. 
“ Look here, can you do this ? ” Then he took up 
a large stone, and squeezed it so hard that a few 
drops of water came from it. 

“ That is nothing ! ” cried the tailor, “ that is but 
play for me ! ” and taking out the soft cheese from 
his pocket, he squeezed it till the water ran out in 
a stream. At the same time he cried, “ Beat that 
20 if you can ! ” 

The giant knew not what to say, but he took up 
another stone and threw it so high in the air that 
one could not see where it fell. 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 


169 


“ That is very well done,” said the tailor, 44 but 
the stone will fall somewhere. I will throw one 
up, and it shall not come down again.” So he 
put his hand into his pocket, and, taking out the 
bird, threw it high up into the air. At once the 
bird rose higher than the giant’s stone, and soon 
was far out of sight. 

“ What do you think of that, my friend ? ” said 
the tailor. 

44 You can throw well,” answered the giant , 44 but io 
I should like to see if you can lift as well as you 
can throw.” And he led the little tailor into a 
forest in which lay a great oak tree that had been 
blown down by the wind. 44 Now, then,” he said, 

44 if you are as strong as you say you are, just help 
me carry this tree out of the forest.” 

“Very well,” answered the tailor, 44 you take 
the trunk on your back, and let me take the leaves 
and branches; they are heavier.” 

Then the giant lifted the trunk on his back, but 20 
the little tailor took his seat among the branches, 
unseen by the giant, who had to carry the whole 
tree and the tailor besides. 


170 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


Our little friend was so merry that he sang as 
he went along. Soon the load grew too heavy for 
the giant, and at last he said : “ I cannot go a step 
farther, do you hear? I shall let the trunk fall.” 

At this the tailor sprang lightly down, took hold 
of the tree with both hands, and said, “ W ell, you 
can’t be so very strong not to be able to carry a 
tree like this.” 

Then the giant said to him, “ Since you are so 
10 strong, you had better come home with me to my 
cave and stop for the night.” 

When they reached the cave, there sat two other 
giants before a blazing fire, each with a large roast 
sheep in his hands, eating his supper. 

The little tailor sat down, and thought to him- 
self, “Well, this is a sight worth coming a long 
way to see.” 

Then the giant showed him his bed, but it was 
so large and hard that he got up, crept into a 
20 corner, and there went to sleep. 

When all was still, the giant arose, and struck 
the little tailor’s bed such a heavy blow that it 
broke in two. “Ah,” thought the huge fellow, 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 


171 


“I have killed you, little grasshopper; you will 
play no more tricks on me.” 

The next morning the giants did not give the 
little tailor a thought, but went off into the wood. 
And so when they' saw him walking up, as brave 
as ever, they thought that he had come to life 
again, and knowing that he could kill seven at 
one stroke, the giants took to their heels, and ran 
away so fast that they were soon out of sight. 

Then the little man went on until he came to io 
the gates of a king’s castle, where, tired out with 
his long walk, he lay down on the grass, and soon 
fell fast asleep. 

While he lay there some of the king’s men passed 
by, and read on his belt the words, “ Seven at one 
stroke ! ” “ Ah,” they cried, “ what can a man 

like this be doing here in time of peace? He must 
be a great hero.” 

So they ran and told the king, who said : “ He 
must indeed be a great man. Go out and sit by 20 
his side, and when he wakes, give him this bag of 
gold, and tell him that I would like to make him a 
general in my army.” 


172 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


The king’s men did as they were ordered, and 
when the little tailor awoke, they told him what 
the king had said. 

“ Ah, yes,” cried the little man, “ that is what 
I came for ; I should be glad to join the king’s 
army.” 

Then the king gave him a room in the castle, 
and he had fine clothes to wear. But the rest of 
the king’s soldiers did not like the little tailor, 
io “ For,” they said, “if we should have a fight with 
him, what would he not do to us, — a man who 
can kill seven at a single stroke.” So they went 
to the king and told him that they would leave his 
army unless he sent the little tailor away. 

Now the king did not like to lose all his old sol- 
diers, and began to wish that he had never seen 
the tailor ; but he could not think how to get rid 
of him, since he might kill them all and make 
himself king. 

20 At last the king thought of a plan, so he sent for 
the tailor, and said : “In a forest not far from here 
live two cruel giants. They are robbers and very 
wicked, but no one dares to go near them for fear 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 


173 


of being killed. If you will rid my kingdom of 
these wicked giants, I will give you my princess 
to marry and half of my kingdom. You shall also 
have one hundred horsemen to help you in any 
way that you may wish.” 

“ W ell,” answered the tailor, “ this seems a fair 
offer, and I will do it for you ; but a man who has 
killed seven at one stroke has little need of one 
hundred horsemen.” 

But the tailor took his hundred horsemen and set io 
boldly out to find the giants. When they came to 
the edge of the wood, he ordered the horsemen to 
stay where they were, which they were very glad 
to do, while he went on to fight the giants alone. 

After a while, the little tailor found the two 
giants lying fast asleep under a tree, and snoring 
so loud that the leaves above them rattled and 
shook. 

The little tailor at once set to work. He quickly 
filled both his pockets full of large stones. Then 20 
he climbed up into the tree, and creeping out over 
the first giant, he let fall one big stone after 
another. 


174 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


At last the giant awoke, and said, “ What do you 
mean by hitting me like that ? ” 

“You were dreaming,” said the other giant; “I 
never touched you.” And soon they were both 
asleep again. 

Then the little tailor dropped a very heavy stone 
upon the second giant, who woke up in a rage, and 
cried : “ You are striking me now ! What do you 
mean by it?” 

io “ I never struck you,” said the first giant. 

By this time, they were both very angry, but at 
last they lay down again and went to sleep. 

As soon as their eyes were closed, the tailor 
rolled the largest stone he could find upon the head 
of the first giant. 

“ This is too much ! ” he cried, and struck the 
other giant so hard that the ground shook. 

Then the second giant gave him a blow, and the 
battle went on for hours. They pulled up huge 
20 trees ; they threw rocks at each other ; and the 
fight only ended when they both lay dead on the 
ground. 

Then down jumped the little tailor from his tree, 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 


175 


and, drawing his sword, he gave a loud shout, and 
ran quickly to the horsemen on the edge of the 
wood. 

“ I have done it,” he said ; “ they are both dead. 

It was no easy task, I can tell you, for they even 
pulled up trees they were so angry ; but what 
could they do against a man who has killed seven 
at one stroke ? ” 

“ Are you not hurt ? ” asked one of the horsemen. 

“ Notin the least,” answered the tailor. io 

And when the soldiers saw the two giants lying 
on the ground, they thought the little tailor a very 
brave man indeed. 

Then the little tailor came before the king to 
claim his princess and half the kingdom, but the 
king put him off again and said : “ One thing more 
you must do before you can have your bride. In 
the great forest back of the castle there lives a wild 
boar, so large that no one of my men dares to hunt 
him. As soon as you have killed this beast for me, 20 
you shall surely have the princess.” 

k ‘ Why, that is nothing,” answered the tailor. 

“ I can do that as well as not.” So he set out at 


176 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


once for the forest, but he left the horsemen out- 
side just as he had done before. ‘ 

As soon as the wild boar caught sight of the 
tailor, he flew at him, and would have thrown him 
to the ground, but the tailor was too quick for 
him, and darted into a little church which stood 
near. When the boar rushed in after him, the 
tailor had already jumped out of a window, and 
running around to the front of the church, quickly 
io slammed the door and locked the boar in. 

When the horsemen came and saw tbe prize, 
they thought the little tailor a very brave man 
indeed. 

This time the king had to keep his word, whether 
he liked it or not, and he gave to the brave little 
tailor the princess and half of his kingdom. 


THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG 
KIDS 

There was once an old goat who had seven 
little kids, and she loved them all as much as any 
mother could love her children. 

One day the goat wished to go into the forest 
to get food for her kids, and before she started, 
she said to them all : “ Dear children, I am going 
into the wood. Now don’t open the door while . 
I am away, for if the wolf should get into our 
hut, he would eat you all up; not a hair would 
be left. You may easily know him by his rough io 
voice and his black feet.” 

“ Dear mother,” cried all the young kids, “ we 
will be very careful to keep out the wolf ; you 
need not think of us at all, for we shall be quite 
safe.” So the old goat went on her way into the 
forest. 


177 


178 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


She had not been gone long, when there came a 
rap at the door, and a voice cried, “ Open the door, 
my dear children ; I have something nice here for 
each of you.” 

But the young kids knew by the rough voice 
that this was the old wolf and not their dear 
mother. So one of them said : “We shall not open 
the door. Our mother’s voice is soft and gentle, 
and your voice is rough ; you are only a wolf.” 
io So the wolf ran away to a shop and bought a 
stick of white chalk, which he ate to make his 
voice soft. Then he went back to the goat’s hut, 
rapped again at the door, and said in a soft voice, 
“ Open the door for me, my dear children ; I am 
your mother, and I have something nice here for 
each of you.” 

But the oldest little kid thought of what his 
mother had said, and answered, “ If you are our 
mother, put your foot on the window-sill that we 
20 may see it.” 

When the wolf had done this, all the little kids 
cried out : “No, you are not our mother ; we shall 
not open the door; our mother has white feet and 


THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS 179 


not black ones like yours. Go away, you are the 
wolf.” 

Then the wolf went to the baker’s, and said, 

“ Mr. Baker, dust some flour on my foot, for I 
have hurt it.” And the miller was so afraid of the 
wolf that he did as he was told. 

Now the wicked wolf went to the goat’s house a 
third time and said, “ Open the door, dear children ; 

I am your mother, and I have something nice for 
you here.” io 

“ Show us your feet,” said the little kids, “ then 
we shall know that you really are our mother.” 

So the wolf placed his foot, which the baker had 
dusted with flour, on the window-sill ; and when 
the kids saw it was white, they thought this was 
really their mother, and they opened the door. 
But as soon as he jumped into the room, they saw 
that it was the wicked old wolf, and they all ran 
to hide themselves. 

One hid under the table, the second in the bed, 20 
the third in the oven, the fourth in the kitchen, 
the fifth in the cupboard, the sixth under the wash- 
tub, and the seventh, who was the smallest of all, 


180 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


in the clock case. The wolf quickly found six 
and gobbled them all up, one after another ; but 
the youngest, who was in the clock case, he could 
not find. 

Then the wolf, feeling sleepy, went out and 
lay down in the green grass under a tree, and fell 
fast asleep. 

Not long after the old goat came home from the 
forest. Ah! what did she see ! The house door 
io wide open, the table and chairs upset, the wash- 
tub broken in pieces, and the bed tipped over. 
The poor mother looked for her children in vain ; 
not one could she find. 

At last she heard a little voice cry, “ Dear 
mother, here I am shut up in the clock case.” 
The old goat helped her little kid out, and listened 
while he told how the wolf had come into the hut 
and eaten each of the brothers and sisters at one 
mouthful. How the poor mother cried at the loss 
20 of her dear children ! 

At last she went out of the hut, and there under 
the tree she found the old wolf lying sound asleep 
and snoring. The goat, looking sharply, thought 


i 


THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS 181 


she saw something move inside of the wolf. “ Ah,” 
said she, “ it may be that my poor children are still 
alive.” So she sent the little kid into the house 
for a pair of scissors, a needle, and some thread ; 
and when he came back, she quickly began to cut 
open the wolf’s stomach. 

At the first snip of the scissors, one of the kids 
stuck out his head, and the more the old goat cut, 
the more the little heads popped out, until at last 
all six of the kids jumped on to the grass and went io 
hopping and skipping about their mother. 

Then the old goat said to them, “ Go and bring 
me some large stones from the brook, that we may 
fill the stomach of this wicked wolf while he still 
sleeps.” 

The seven little kids ran off in great haste, and 
soon came back with as many large stones as they 
could carry. With these they filled the stomach 
of the wolf. Then the old goat sewed it up again 
so gently and quietly that the wolf did not wake 20 
nor move. 

When at last the wicked wolf did wake up, and 
stretched out his legs, he seemed to feel very 


182 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


heavy. The great stones in his stomach also made 
him feel so thirsty that he got up and went to the 
brook to drink. As he walked along, the stones 
rattled and struck against each other until he 
cried out : — 

“ My stomach’s a tumble, 

With rattle and rumble, 

Like a pile of old bones, 

Or a barrel of stones.” 

When he came to the brook and bent down to 
drink, the stones were so heavy that they tipped 
him over the edge of the bank, and he fell into the 
stream and was drowned. 

The little kids and their mother heard the splash, 
and ran to the side of the brook. There in the 
deep water they saw the wolf lying on his side, 
stone dead. Then they danced around their 
mother, crying, “ The wolf is dead ! the wolf is 
dead ! ” And this was the end of the wicked old 
20 wolf. 


THE GREEDY BLACKSMITH 


A tailor and a blacksmith were going home 
one evening after their work was done. It was 
later than usual, for they both had been very 
busy at their trades. They lived several miles 
from the town, and before they were halfway 
home, night came on ; but soon the moon rose, 
and as its round, bright face came up from behind 
the hills, they heard the sound of music. This 
music was so strange and yet so beautiful that the 
friends forgot how tired they were and ran on to io 
see from whence it came. 

As they drew nearer and nearer to the music, 
they saw a band of little men and women, who 
were holding each other’s hands, and dancing 
round and round in a circle to the strange and 
beautiful music. 

In the centre of the ring, where the fairies were 
dancing, stood an old man, a little taller and 

183 


184 


. GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


stouter than the rest. He wore a coat of many 
colors, and his snow-white beard came down even 
to his belt. 

The tailor and the blacksmith stood still, and 
looked in wonder at the dancers. Soon the old 
man made signs to them, and the little people 
opened a way so that the two men might come 
within the magic circle. 

The blacksmith stepped in at once, for he had 
io no fear, but the tailor was at first a little timid 
and held back. As soon as he saw how merry 
and good-natured the fairies all looked, he took 
heart and also entered the circle. The little 
people quickly closed the magic ring, the beautiful 
music began to play, and they began to dance and 
skip about like dry leaves in a storm. 

Then the old man in the centre of the ring drew 
a large knife from his belt, and began to sharpen 
it on a stone. When he had tried the edge with 
20 his finger, he turned and gave the two men such 
a fierce look that it made them both fear for their 
lives. Almost before they knew what had hap- 
pened, the little man had caught hold of the smith, 


THE GREEDY BLACKSMITH 


185 


and, as quick as a wink, had shaved off his hair 
and beard at one stroke of the knife. He then 
took the tailor and did the same to him. 

As soon as this was done, the old man’s face 
became all smiles again, and he patted the two 
men on the back in the most friendly way, as if 
he thought they had done well to be shaved with- 
out making any trouble. He then pointed to a 
heap of charcoal that lay on one side of the ring, 
and made signs to them to fill their pockets. io 

The tailor and the blacksmith both did as they 
were ordered, though neither could think of what 
use a pocketful of coals would be to him. Then 
they said good-by to the little people, for it was 
getting late, and they wanted to find a place to 
sleep. 

Just as they turned to go, a clock from the 
church tower struck twelve. Upon the last stroke 
the music stopped, the little people sank out of 
sight, and the hillside where they had been danc- 20 
ing lay calm and still in the moonlight. 

After walking for some time, our two friends at 
last came to a barn. Creeping in upon the hay, 


186 


GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES 


they went sound asleep, dressed just as they were, 
for they were too tired even to think of taking the 
coals from their pockets. 

When morning came, the heavy weight awoke 
them earlier than usual, and on putting their hands 
into their pockets, they hardly knew what to think, 
when they found that instead of coals their hands 
were full of pure gold. Then they felt of their 
beards and their hair, and found that they had 
io grown during the night. 

Now the blacksmith was a greedy fellow, and 
although he had taken twice as much coal as the 
tailor, yet he wished for still more, so he said to 
the tailor, “ Come, brother Cross Legs, let us visit 
our little friends again to-night, for we did not 
take half enough of their coal.” 

But the tailor answered: “I have all the gold 
that I can use, and I am quite content. The little 
people have treated us well, and I see no need of 
20 their doing more for us.” 

The blacksmith thought that the tailor was very 
foolish, and in the evening he took two large bags 
under his arm and went alone to the hillside. 


THE GREEDY BLACKSMITH 


187 


As soon as the moon came up, he found the little 
people dancing and singing, just as they had been 
doing the night before. 

Again the fairies took the blacksmith into the 
ring, and the old man shaved him, and made a 
sign as before that he could take as much coal as 
he liked. This was just what the greedy fellow 
was waiting for, and he not only filled his pockets 
with the coal, but the two bags as well. 

This night the blacksmith had a bed to sleep on, I0 
but he lay down in his clothes, saying, “ I shall 
know when it changes to gold, for it will be so 
heavy that it will wake me.” And he went to 
sleep, thinking of the riches he would have in the 
morning. 

As soon as the blacksmith opened his eyes the 
next morning, he reached into his pockets, but he 
brought up handful after handful of black coals, 
and not a speck of gold could he find. 

“Well, I still have the gold I took the first 20 
night,” he said, but lo ! this also had turned back 
again to coal, and he was worth not even a penny ; 
he put up his black hands to his head, and found 


188 


GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES 


that it was still bald, while his chin was smooth 
and without a beard. 

When the tailor came in to see the blacksmith, 
he found him groaning and crying aloud over his 
trouble. Then the tailor said, “ My friend, you 
have been unlucky ; but my needs are few, and the 
gold which I have is enough for both of us ; we 
will share and share alike.” 

The tailor was as good as his word, and gave 
io half of his gold to the blacksmith, but the beard of 
the greedy fellow never grew again, and he always 
had to wear a cap to cover his bald head. 


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ENGLISH CLASSICS 


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the High School, Syracuse, N.Y. 

Cooper’s The Deerslayer. 

De Quincey ’s Confessions of an English Opium Eater. Edited by Arthur 
Beatty, University of Wisconsin. 

Dryden’s Palamon and Arcite. Edited by Percival Chubb, Vice- 
Principal Ethical Culture Schools, New York City. 

Early American Orations, 1760-1824. Edited by Louie R. Heller, 
Instructor in English in the De Witt Clinton High School, New York 
City. 

Epoch-making Papers in United States History. Edited by M. S. Brown, 
New York University. 

Franklin’s Autobiography. 

George Eliot’s Silas Mamer. Edited by E. L. Gulick, Lawrenceville 
School, Lawrenceville, N.J. 

Goldsmith’s Vicar of Wakefield. Edited by H. W. Boynton, Phillips 
Academy, Andover, Mass. 

Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales. Edited by R. C. Gaston, Richmond 
Hill High School, Borough of Queens, New York City. 

living’s Alhambra. Edited by ALFRED M. HITCHCOCK, Public High 
School, Hartford, Coun. 


ENGLISH CLASSICS 


Irving’s Life of Goldsmith. Edited by Gilbert Sykes Blakely, 
Teacher of English in the Morris High School, New York City. 
Irving’s Sketch Book. 

Jonathan Edwards’ Sermons (Selections from). Edited by Professor 
H. N. Gardiner, of Smith College. 

Longfellow’s Evangeline. Edited by Lewis B. Semple, Commercial 
High School, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Lowell’s Vision of Sir Launfal. Edited by Herbert E. Bates, Manual 
Training High School, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Macaulay’s Essay on Addison. Edited by C. W. French, Principal of 
Hyde Park High School, Chicago, 111. 

Macaulay’s Essay on Clive. Edited by J. W. Pearce, Assistant Pro- 
fessor of English in Tulane University. 

Macaulay’s Essay on Johnson. Edited by William Schuyler, Assist- 
ant Principal of the St. Louis High School. 

Macaulay’s Essay on Milton. Edited by C. W. French. 

Macaulay’s Essay on Warren Hastings. Edited by Mrs. M. J. Frick, 
Los Angeles, Cal. 

Milton’s Comus, Lycidas, and Other Poems. Edited by Andrew J. 

George. 

Milton’s Paradise Lost. Books I and II. Edited by W. I. Crane, 
Steele High School, Dayton, O. 

Palgrave’s Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics. 

Plutarch’s Lives of Caesar, Brutus, and Antony. Edited by Martha 
Brier, Teacher of English in the Polytechnic High School, Oakland, 
Cal. 

Poe’s Poems. Edited by Charles W. Kent, Linden Kent Memorial 
School, University of Virginia. 

Poe’s Prose Tales (Selections from). 

Pope’s Homer’s Iliad. Edited by Albert Smyth, Head Professor of 
English Language and Literature, Central High School, Philadelphia, 
Pa. 

Ruskin’s Sesame and Lilies, and King of the Golden River. Edited by 

Herbert E. Bates. 

Scott’s Ivanhoe. Edited by Alfred M. Hitchcock. 

Scott’s Lady of the Lake. Edited by Elizabeth A. Packard, Oakland, 
Cal. 

Scott’s Lay of the Last Minstrel. Edited by Ralph H. Bowles. 
Scott’s Marmion. Edited by George B. AlTON, State Inspector of High 
Schools for Minnesota. 


ENGLISH CLASSICS 


Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Edited by Charles Robert Gaston. 

Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Edited by L. A. Sherman, Professor of English 
Literature in the University of Nebraska. 

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Edited by George W. Hufford and Lois 
G. Hufford, High School, Indianapolis, Ind. 

Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Edited by Charlotte W. Under- 
wood, Lewis Institute, Chicago, 111. 

Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Edited by C. W. French. 

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Edited by Edward P. Morton, Assist- 
ant Professor of English in the University of Indiana. 

Shelley and Keats (Selections from). Edited by S. C. Newsom. 

Southern Poets (Selections from) . Edited by W. L. Weber, Professor of 
English Literature in Emoiy College, Oxford, Ga. 

Spenser’s Faerie Queen, Book I. Edited by George Armstrong 
Wauchope, Professor of English in the South Carolina College. 

Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Edited by H. A. Vance, Professor of 
English in the University of Nashville. 

Tennyson’s The Princess. Edited by Wilson Farrand, Newark 
Academy, Newark, N.J. 

Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. Edited by W. T. Vlymen, Principal of 
Eastern District High School, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Tennyson’s Shorter Poems. Edited by Charles Read Nutter, In- 
structor in English at Harvard University; sometime Master in Eng- 
lish at Groton School. 

John Woolman’s Journal. 

Wordsworth’s Shorter Poems. Edited by Edward Fulton, Assistant 
Hroiessor of Rhetoric in the University of Illinois. 

Old English Ballads. Edited by Professor William D. Armes, of the 
University of California. 

Kingsley’s The Heroes. Edited by Charles A. McMurry. 

Macaulay’s Poems. Edited by Professor Franklin T. Baker. 

Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. Edited by Clifton Johnson. 

The Arabian Nights’ Entertainments. Edited by Clifton Johnson. 

Keary’s Heroes of Asgard. Edited by Charles A. McMurry. 

Hawthorne’s Grandfather’s Chair. Edited by Charles A. McMurry. 


THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

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